


camp, camp (we're falling apart to solve crime)

by peraltiagoisland



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, and just, as i spend 6758493857584930 years working on other stuff, but like, forgot that it existed, i wrote like the first 30k words of this, idk if its good, maybe it'll tide y'all over, so her ya go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-04-30 14:56:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14499471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peraltiagoisland/pseuds/peraltiagoisland
Summary: Jake Peralta, Raymond Holt and Kevin Cozner's adoptive son (not integral to any of this, but a boy loves his dads) attends CSI Kids Camp for the first time when he turns 8 (a summer camp for 8-14 year olds), making plans to sneak out every night with his best friend Gina Linetti, who attends the Junior Jazzle-Dazzle Dance Camp next door. They proceed to go for camp every summer over the next seven years, due in part to their respective loves for dance and crime-solving. But is that all there is to it?





	1. year 1

**Author's Note:**

> im hoping to god y'all like this (dw future chapters are longer than this)
> 
> inspired by works of VivaRocksteady who started the Holt-And-Kevin-Adopting-Jake universe and also @startofamoment and when i say inspired i mean this was never my idea i just decided to write it and even then i still managed to forget all about it for almost a year somehow! life is strange!!

_**"Do you love solving puzzles? Do science museums excite rather than bore you? Are you between the ages of 8-14? If so, sign up for CSI Kids Camp this summer for two weeks of investigative fun! Learn how to uncover clues at a crime scene, how to solve cases better than the best detectives, and most of all—how to have fun!"** _

  
  
Jake was instantly drawn to the _CSI Kids Camp_ when he first found out about it. As a very impressionable child, Jake was incredibly proud and constantly amazed by his adoptive father—Captain Raymond Holt. He greatly admired all the work the man had done on the force. Especially when he had been a detective. Jake's life changed the day he found a file containing cases his father had solved whilst snooping around his office. His dad was super cool, and Jake wanted to be just like him when he grew up.  
  
When Jake accidentally stumbled upon the movie _Die Hard_ whilst home alone one night, he was even more determined to be a cop, especially one as awesome and badass as John McClane. He dreamed of being a hero; single-handedly saving the day and dropping dope one-liners left and right.  
  
So Jake was incredibly excited about his eighth birthday—he had made it explicitly clear that he wanted to attend _CSI Kids Camp_ that summer, and to his delight, his parents had granted him that wish.

 

* * *

 

"Gina! Gina! I'm going for CSI camp! Did your mom let you sign up for dance camp?"  
  
Being his very best friend, Gina is almost always the first person to find out if anything important happens to Jake. When Jake became shortstop in their school's Little League team. The first time he lost a tooth—Jake had fallen off a skateboard, which Gina was the only one there to witness it, _literally_ making her the first person to find out about it. And that day when the ice cream vendor accidentally gave him an extra scoop for free. It was chocolate too, which made it an even bigger deal.  
  
Hence, right after Kevin and Raymond tell him the good news, Jake races out of the house as fast as his legs can carry him. He makes his way across the street to Gina's house, who is conveniently located on her front lawn, leisurely texting on her cellphone.  
  
"Say what?" Gina asks, not even looking up from her phone. She was too distracted to catch anything Jake had said. Gina's mother gave her a cellphone when she turned six for the purpose of communication, as Darlene often worked late and wanted to ensure Gina was always safe and contactable.  
  
This very reason was also why Gina was constantly over at the Holt-Cozner-Peralta household, a welcome guest at all hours of the day. Jake wanted a phone too—but at eight years of age, Kevin and Raymond were certain he had no such need.  
  
Jake was constantly under supervision anyway; even when Kevin was teaching at the college and Raymond was at the station, their next door neighbor would come over to take care of Jake (and most of the time, Gina as well) ensuring that he stayed safe, happy, and well-fed. She was an old woman who lived alone—nurturing the two children was her joy in life and she took the money only as a formality. Jake and Gina referred to her as 'Nana' and they loved her as if she were their own grandmother.  
  
"My dads signed me up for CSI camp! Are you going for dance camp?" Jake asks again with an inexorable enthusiasm. He had started developing an unwavering patience for repeating his words ever since Gina first got her cellphone.  
  
Thankfully, Gina finally puts her phone down and gives Jake the attention he deserves. "Uh, _duh._ That woman loves me and will give me anything I want. I can't believe we're finally going to camp! How cool is this?"  
  
_Junior Jazzle-Dazzle Dance Camp_ , the summer dance-themed camp Gina signed up for was run by the same company that organized the _CSI Kids Camp_. In fact, they take place in campsites that are so close by they're practically side by side, so Jake and Gina obviously figured they could totally sneak out and go on adventures together at night. They have been excited over this prospect for years _(but like in kid years. In real time they’ve only been excited about this for a few months)_ , ever since they first found out about both camps. Like _CSI Kids Camp, Junior Jazzle-Dazzle Dance Camp_ also caters to children between the ages of 8-14.  
  
"So cool!" Jake agrees, clambering onto the bench swing next to Gina. "I can't wait to be a cop when I grow up. I'm gonna solve all the crimes!"  
  
"And I'm gonna be a world-famous dancer that everyone falls in love with, fans chasing me left, right, and center. Maybe you could get your other cop friends to be my security guards. Deal?"  
  
Jake shakes Gina's hand. "Deal."

 

* * *

 

As usual, Darlene is too busy working to drive Gina to camp. Which is great, honestly, since Kevin and Raymond are more than happy to take her; Jake and Gina perfectly content with playing road trip games during the three hour drive to the campsites.  
  
"Do alert the camp counselors if you are feeling unwell or wish to return home, Jacob." Kevin calmly tells Jake as he hugs them before leaving. "You too, Gina."  
  
"Of course." Gina says, giving Kevin and Raymond a hug each too. Especially given how her dad walked out when she was a baby, Gina sees them as her dads just as much as Jake sees them as his.  
  
Jake and Gina wave the car off until it disappears into the distance.  
  
"So—we're meeting at eight tonight?" Gina confirms with Jake before they go off for their separate camps. "I don't know how many losers I'll meet at this camp, and I'm gonna wanna make fun of them with you."  
  
"Be there or be _square."_ Jake promises, finger-gunning rapidly, proud of the new phrase he had learnt in class.  
  
Gina nearly rolls her eyes. "Be there or I'll _punch you_ in the face."  
  
Jake gathers with the rest of the campers, taking his attendance and getting settled into various dormitories. This year, Jake is supposed to share a room with three other male campers. After very briefly unpacking his things, he decides to strike up a conversation with the boy sleeping in the neighboring bed.  
  
"Hey, I'm Jake. What's your name?" He asks, stretching his hand out good-naturedly for a handshake.  
  
"I'm Charles." He returns the handshake enthusiastically, as if grateful that Jake had decided to talk to him, of all people. "This your first time at camp?"  
  
"Yeah, I just turned eight." Jake announces proudly.  
  
"Cool! I'm twelve, by the way." Charles informs with the same amount of pride. "Are you excited for cooking classes to start? I can't wait! What's your favorite heat setting on the oven?"  
  
Jake is very confused. "Wait—cooking classes? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Yeah, cooking classes. It's called _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_ for a reason, Jakey."  
  
"But this is _supposed_ to be _CSI Kids Camp!"_ Jake isn't sure what to do—is he in the wrong place? He gets extremely panicked and it shows in the look of terror on his face—accompanied by cold, sweaty palms. Charles, in an attempt to help Jake, offers to investigate.  
  
A further check in with the nearest counselor reveals that Charles is the one at the wrong camp. This results in a lot of administrative issues, and although Charles had really liked Jake, his passion for cooking outweighed his will to stay.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jake! Maybe I can join _CSI Kids Camp_ next year... or you could join cooking camp?" Charles suggests as he grabs his belongings.  
  
"I don't know, I really wanted to join this camp because I wanna be a cop when I grow up." Jake divulges with a shrug. "We'll see—if this camp turns out to be lame I'll ask my parents about _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_."  
  
Jake is pretty down in the dumps by the time he gets told to go play with the other kids outside before camp activities officially start. He liked Charles; the older boy was kind and friendly and nice.  
  
"Do we have a sandpit?" He asks the counselor who knocked on their door. Jake's not actually that concerned about getting to play in a sandpit—okay he is, but that isn't the top priority. He just wants to talk to someone, but the two other boys he bunked with had struck up their own conversation. Jake knows that trying to cut in or participate will only end up making things very awkward.  
  
"That _and_ a jungle gym." The camp counselor enthuses proudly.  
  
And rightfully so. As Jake takes in the play area, he freezes to the ground. The counselor had greatly undersold how amazing this playground is.  
  
Sure, Jake is at _CSI Kids Camp_ , but the campsite is clearly supposed to be something straight out of kid heaven. A refuge for children, a joyous respite from the boring clutches of the world. Fun beyond one's wildest dreams—an endless flood of happiness and play.  
  
They don't _just_ have a sandpit and a jungle gym. They have slides, swings, seesaws, and heck, Jake sees a few kids kicking a ball around. Standing in this playground is a dream come true.  
  
Except, what ends up catching Jake's attention most is this girl with two pigtails on the sides of her head.  
  
No, Jake doesn't fall in love with the girl at first sight or anything lame, okay? He just... he wants to pull her pigtails.  
  
He wants to pull her pigtails really, _really_ badly. And he doesn't know why! Although—they _do_  look like they're really easy to pull.  
  
Back at their school, none of the girls Jake came across ever wore pigtails (this was thanks to Gina who somehow managed to ban the hairstyle throughout the entire school), so seeing this girl was like seeing a whole new world.  
  
A whole new world of pigtails that he wants to tug, tug, tug.  
  
Before he even realizes what he's doing, Jake's walking up to this girl with a mischievous grin on his face. She doesn't notice him at all, completely preoccupied with building a perfectly symmetrical sandcastle in the sandpit.  
  
And then he does it.  
  
Jake stretches his hand out and gives one of the girl's pigtails a tug. The effect is instantaneous.  
  
"Ow!" She shrieks, catching the attention of a few counselors.  
  
Jake's hand still holds onto her pigtail, stunned from this very rage-filled reaction.  
  
She angrily grabs his hand and pushes it away from her hair, causing Jake to get this great urge to say he's sorry. He never intended to cause her harm or pain, although in hindsight he probably should have realized that getting one's hair tugged is painful, which didn't occur to him before. Guilt settles on Jake's chest like a heavy rock, and his heart fills with shame.  
  
"That hurt!" She smacks his hand hard, and the jolt of pain makes Jake reconsider his apology.  
  
"That hurt too!" He whines, rubbing his hand where a patch of red begins to form.  
  
"What's going on here?" A concerned counselor probes as she confronts Jake and the cute girl with pigtails.  
  
Wait did Jake say cute? He didn't mean to say cute.  
  
Okay fine, the pigtailed girl is _kind of_ cute upon closer inspection, which is annoying because it makes it even harder for Jake to stay mad at her for bruising him.  
  
"He pulled my hair!" Her angry accusation drags Jake away from his thoughts, and he knows it's an opportune time to defend himself.  
  
"She hit me!"  
  
"Only because he pulled my hair _first!"_  
  
Okay, Jake has to give her that. Why did he pull her hair again? Suddenly his _they just look so easy to pull!_ reasoning feels weak and very foolish. But alas, Jake is an impulsive child, and that means he has to suffer the consequences of acting on his badly thought through whims.  
  
The camp counselor looks rather confused and at a loss. What is the best approach here? If she handles this situation wrongly, she could end up being hated by both children, or wrongly punishing at least one of them.  
  
"Okay, that's it. I'm taking you two to Head Counselor Dave's office. He'll settle this."

 

* * *

 

Any apprehension or fear of getting into serious trouble on the way to Head Counselor Dave's office is soon obliterated when the two children come face to face with the man. Dave Majors has a natural charm and allure to him, an effortless charisma which gained him the affection of many children and in different ways, many adults. He's a suave man, to say the least, and Jake is immediately awestruck.  
  
"Majors, I found these two kids-" The counselor that escorted them to Head Counselor Dave begins to anxiously explain what had happened, only to be cut off by the man himself.  
  
"Actually, Billie, I'd rather hear what happened from the kids." He says this politely, yet with a sort of blithe disregard for Counselor Billie's version of events, wanting the children to explain themselves instead. Jake thinks that Head Counselor Dave is the coolest dude ever.  
  
Counselor Billie doesn't protest against this, looking quite relieved to have washed her hands of this issue as she quickly leaves.  
  
Head Counselor Dave looks down at Jake and Amy, flashing them a warm and comforting smile which admittedly causes Jake's heart to flutter slightly, if that were possible. It doesn't even feel like they're in trouble. Are they even in trouble?  
  
"Hey, kids. Have a seat. Standing up for too long gets tiring," he says, gesturing to the chairs.  
  
So there they sit, in the two chairs placed in front of Head Counselor Dave's desk, as if the camp had already predicted that two kids would get into trouble and be forced to visit his office.  
  
"Now, as I've been stuck in here all morning handling paperwork, I don't believe any of us have met. I'm Head Counselor Dave Majors, but between the three of us, you can just call me Dave. What are your names?"  
  
"I... I'm Amy. Amy Santiago." Amy sounds nervous as she says this, and in his curiosity Jake turns to look at the girl. Her cheeks are pink and she's obviously feeling shy, so much so that she currently picks at her cuticles. Jake makes a note to tease her about this later, although he can't blame Amy for having any sort of crush on Dave. Jake himself is pretty sure Dave is the most awesome dude he has ever met in his life. And his dad is a _cop._  
  
"Amy, huh? That's a beautiful name. And how about you, young man?" Dave looks at Jake now, and his mouth goes dry at the attention. He feels just as shy as Amy had looked.  
  
"Uh, I'm Jake. Jake Peralta."  
  
An amused chuckle escapes Dave, causing Jake to fear that he had done something stupid.  
  
"Well aren't the two of you just precious. I haven't heard an eight year old introduce themselves to me with their last name since, since _never_ , actually." Jake considers telling Dave that the only reason he said his last name was because Amy did it first. He's afraid Dave will think that they're weird kids, and he doesn't want that at all.  
  
"But it's a good thing." Jake is glad he kept his mouth shut. "You two keep doing you. Now what is it that you two kids got up to that made Counselor Billie so flustered?"  
  
"Jake... pulled on my pigtails," Amy explains, except instead of the angry accusatory tone she carried earlier, this time her words are more careful and she tries to sound more pitiful. Jake wants to resent her for it but even he has to admit it's such a smart move.  
  
Dave raises his eyebrows at this, amused but not surprised. It seems this is not the first pigtail-pulling case he has come across.  
  
He stares at Jake now. "Jake, is this true?"  
  
Jake gulps and looks down guiltily. "Yeah, but Amy hit me after that, and it really hurt."  
  
Two can play at the pitiful game.  
  
"Do you think that maybe Amy only hit you because you pulled her hair?"  
  
Jake nods in assent. "I guess. Yeah. I didn't—I wasn't trying to hurt her though. I don't... know why I did that." He looks down and bites his lip awkwardly, causing Dave to decide that Jake was very likely telling the truth.  
  
"Jake, I'm going to give you the chance to call someone and tell them what you did." Dave hands Jake the phone on his desk, and Jake picks up the receiver hesitantly.  
  
"Anyone?"  
  
"Best to call someone in your family. Like your mom or dad. I think you feel sorry for pulling Amy's hair, but I don't know you as well as your family does. If you can convince someone other than myself that you feel guilty about what you did, maybe Amy'll be able to forgive you. Or they could give you a punishment more suitable than Amy or I ever could." Any other adult or teacher saying that last sentence would spook Jake right out, but the way in which Dave explains what Jake has to do makes it feel like the guy is actually trying to help Jake out instead of punish him.  
  
So Jake takes a deep breath and dials a number he knows by heart into the phone, and waits through that ever so familiar ring tone before the phone gets picked up.  
  
"New phone, who dis?"  
  
Relief spreads through Jake like waves crashing onto a shore, and he smiles as he responds to Gina.  
  
"Hey, it's Jake."  
  
Gina gasps. "S'up Jake? You found a phone? Awesome. How's CSI camp? You solved any murders yet?"  
  
"It's... I'm kind of in the Head Counselor's office right now. I pulled on someone's pigtails and-"  
  
Gina immediately understands, for some strange reason. _"I'm on my way."_  
  
"Uh, okay. You know how to get here?"  
  
"I'll find my way. See you in ten minutes, tops."  
  
And then Gina hangs up, so Jake hesitantly places the receiver back down and looks up at Dave.  
  
"She said she's on her way here."  
  
Dave's eyes widen, this time in surprise.  
  
"How long do we have to wait?"  
  
Jake shrugs. "Five, maybe ten minutes?"  
  
This further surprises Dave. Many of their campers live hours away. Maybe some parents were just that overprotective.  
  
Eight minutes later, there is a knock on Head Counselor Dave's office door, and in strolls eight year old Gina Linetti. Which Dave did not expect in the least. He had assumed that Jake was referring to his mother when he said that whomever he had phoned was on their way. Although—maybe this isn't who Jake had phoned, and she's just another camper who lost their way?  
  
"Oh, hello. And you are-"  
  
"Gina Linetti. My boy Jake over here hit me up. Look, whatever it is you think he did-"  
  
"Jake pulled on my pigtails." Amy interrupts. She does not seem too happy at the entrance of Gina, and now has her arms folded defensively.  
  
"Yeah, but he only did that because there was a bug in your hair. He was trying to save you in case you got bitten by a radioactive insect—and _this_ is the thanks he gets?!"  
  
"What?" Amy says in utter and complete confusion.  
  
Jake is tempted to agree, but he knows that whatever story Gina whips up on the spot right now is to help him get out of trouble.  
  
"Yeah, you should be ashamed."  
  
"Wait, forgive me but—why didn't you mention this before, Jake? And how do you know Amy had a bug in her hair, Gina? Were you there?"  
  
Gina turns back to look at Dave and Jake's nails dig into his palms because he probably sees through Gina's obvious lie.  
  
"I am anywhere, and everywhere, good sir. And Jake over here has performance issues. He couldn't bring himself to tell you the truth behind why he pulled on Amy's pigtails because he didn't want to paint himself as a goddamn _hero."_  
  
Dave seems convinced, but also filled with a sense of skepticism. He's also a little taken aback by the fact that an eight year old just said the word "goddamn".  
  
"Is that so, Jake?" He asks, and Jake feels compelled to nod because this is one of the best lies Gina has ever come up with, and giving up the ruse would just make her very angry in days to come.  
  
"Is this a... good enough explanation for you, Amy?"  
  
One look at Amy and they could tell that she was highly doubtful about the truth behind Gina's words, but she nods anyway.  
  
"I guess. As long as he promises never to do it again."  
  
Jake nods even harder. "I promise. Never _ever."_  
  
Dave smiles in acceptance. "Well, if it's good enough for you it's good enough for me too. Jake and Amy, if you feel comfortable just shake hands and we can be done with this whole thing. I won't tell any parents." He winks.  
  
Jake and Amy's insides melt and they immediately shake each other's hands. Gina looks pretty amused by Dave too, but not in the same way that Jake and Amy are.  
  
"Wow, your handshake is firm." Jake remarks as he shakes Amy's hand, who just shrugs proudly in response.  
  
"Thank you, Head Counselor Dave." Amy says after she lets go of Jake's hand.  
  
"Thank you _very much_ , Head Counselor Dave." Jake says immediately afterwards as sincerely as he can, not wanting to lose to Amy.  
  
Dave chuckles. "Aren't you kids just perfect. You're all free to leave now, and I hope I'll get to see you kids soon, but preferably under different circumstances. Have fun at camp."  
  
All three children leave, maintaining a tense sort of silence for a good fifty yards after walking away from Head Counselor Dave's office.  
  
"Okay, since there aren't any adults around anymore, tell me the truth: you didn't pull my hair because there was a bug in it, did you?"  
  
Amy crosses her arms, and Jake swallows hard as Gina stares at him curiously, wanting to know the truth too, now that she's gotten his sorry ass out of trouble.  
  
Jake scratches his head. "Um, no?"  
  
Amy sighs. "I knew it."  
  
"But you played along so well, girl!" Gina interjects. Jake can tell that she's buttering Amy up just in case to prevent the girl from running back to Head Counselor Dave's office.  
  
"Who are you?" Amy asks Gina, her face contorted in confusion.  
  
"Gina Linetti, the one and only," she basically announces this, gesturing to herself with pizazz. "I'm Jake's best friend, and I'm at the dance camp next door."  
  
Amy nods. "Cool."  
  
"It is. Word of advice sweetie: lose the pigtails, or pulled-back hair of any kind. If you ask me, Jake should've pulled your hair ties off instead of your hair itself. But then again, _not_ cool of him to pull on your pigtails." Gina points out, fixing Jake with a glare.  
  
"But they looked so easy to pull!" Gina gives him another look. "Fine, you're right. It wasn't a nice thing to do, and I'm an idiot for not knowing it would hurt you. I'm sorry. For realz. Realz with a Z."  
  
"Apology accepted. But never do this again."   
  
"I won't, I swear. Friends?" He offers his hand out to Amy.  
  
"Didn't we already shake hands in Head Counselor Dave's office?" Amy asks skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, but that was for him. This one's for us."  
  
Amy shakes his hand, and it's an oddly tender moment. "Alright, I'm going back to the playground. See you around."  
  
Amy leaves, and Gina smacks Jake in the back.  
  
"Don't hurt girls again or I'm _disowning_ you." She warns, proceeding to laugh as his face turns a sheet of white. "See you at eight, girl!"

 

* * *

 

Heading back to the playground, Jake plans on looking for Amy. Despite their conflict-ridden first meeting, Amy is technically the only kid he currently knows at the camp, and thus the closest thing he has to a friend.  
  
Plus he has to admit... she is pretty. So _so_ pretty. No harm in wanting to get closer to a pretty girl. And on closer inspection, her pigtails are actually sorta, kinda adorable. Sue him.  
  
But he can't locate Amy and is quikly distracted by a new development: Charles has returned.  
  
Jake spots Charles coming back into their camp, walking towards the playground with a camp counselor. He can't believe this is happening, and takes off running in Charles's direction, thoughts of Amy and befriending her completely vanishing.  
  
"Charles! What happened? Didn't you leave for _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)?"_  
  
"Turns out they didn't have enough resources left for an extra camper this last minute! My parents say I can go for _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_ next year, but since they already paid for this in full, I have to stay at _CSI Kids Camp_."  
  
Jake can't help but feel happy at this prospect.  
  
"That sucks about _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_ , but I'm glad you're back!"  
  
"It's okay! I'm excited about going next year, and I'm psyched to hang out with you!"  
  
Jake beams. He's so glad Charles is here, especially given how he's the very first friend he met at _CSI Kids Camp_. It seems he won't have to worry about being alone after all.  
  
He tells Gina all about Charles when they meet that night, and she tells him about this cool mysterious girl she had met, named Rosa. Rosa is also eight years old, loves to dance, and is the only person Gina genuinely likes at dance camp.  
  
So during the day—Jake would hang out with Charles and learn about all sorts of cool crime scene and investigation stuff, and at night while Charles called his parents (a conversation which always lasted for an hour at least)—he'd sneak out to hang with Gina for a while so they could catch each other up on their day.  
  
That is how Jake spends his first year at _CSI Kids Camp._


	2. year 2

After Jake's first year at _CSI Kids Camp_  ended, he exchanged numbers with Charles to keep in touch. Charles will sadly but expectedly not be attending _CSI Kids Camp_ the following year, which leaves Jake potentially at risk of being alone again.  
  
"Cool it, kid—you'll meet someone new. What happened to that girl Amy?" Gina asks in the car ride on the way to _CSI Kids Camp_ and _Junior Jazzle-Dazzle Dance Camp_ respectively. They are now both nine years old and excited for their second year of camp. The only issue is, Jake isn't exactly looking forward to being all by himself.  
  
"Oh yeah—after Charles came back I kind of... forgot about her? Oops. I'm not sure she's even coming back this year."  
  
Gina groans. "Really Jake? Okay, not like Amy was the coolest kid on the block, but she still seemed better than Charles."  
  
"Hey! Charles was _cool_. Are you jealous, Gina?"  
  
"Sweetie you know I'm a higher being. Higher beings don't get jealous, they just judge their friends for hanging out with losers. Especially if they chose to hang out with the bigger loser over the slightly less hopeless loser."  
  
"Gina, I'm sure Jake can decide for himself who he wants to be friends with," Darlene interjects as she pulls into the driveway of their campsites. Kevin and Raymond were both too busy to send Jake and Gina for camp this year and Darlene happened to be free for once.  
  
"Fine," Gina sighs. "Be friends with any loser you want.”  
  
Darlene smiles. "That's better, dear. Now off you two go for camp—I love you!"  
  
"Love you too, Mom." Gina waves as does Jake while they both exit the car.  
  
"Anyway, I guess I'll try to talk to Amy—if she's back at CSI Camp this year. See you later at 8?"  
  
Gina nods, an affirmative smile on her face. "Don't be late or I'll break your neck."  
  
Jake only snorts, too used to Gina's extreme threats by now. "I won't be if you bring that cool friend Rosa you keep talking about."  
  
"I'll try to convince her."  
  
Jake and Gina go their separate ways again, filled with dread and anticipation respectively.  
  
As Darlene is a little tardy sending them for camp—okay, technically they aren't late, but Kevin and Raymond believe in the virtue of punctuality and they had sent Jake and Gina for camp much earlier the year before.  
  
So Jake doesn't have any time to search for Amy at the playground, and is instructed to head for the first activity immediately—forensic science class—or as it has been quirkily named in the activity booklet: _Catching Criminals with Chemistry!_  
  
Amy does end up being at _CSI Kids Camp_ again in Jake's second year attending, and he spots her immediately when he enters the lab, sporting her usual pigtails, and thankfully, without a lab partner.  
  
He makes a beeline for her table and hops into the seat next to Amy. She smiles pleasantly before realizing who he is, and then scowls.  
  
"Jake? What are you doing here?" Amy crosses her arms defensively, and if none were the wiser, it would appear as if Jake had done something to horribly offend Amy.  
  
And so Jake starts worrying about whether he had done something to horribly offend Amy (aside from pulling her pigtails last year, but hey, she _forgave_ him for that!), but hides that insecurity in favor of a light-hearted response to Amy's anger.  
  
"Well, samesies, I think. I'm here for forensic science class. Unless I'm wrong and this is actually the _cooking lab_." Jake chuckles, but upon the unamused frown on Amy's face he finds that she's more than unlikely to understand the reference he just made, seeing how said reference was to an _inside joke_ between Charles and himself. Since Charles had signed up for _CSI Kids Camp_ by mistake last year, they often joked about the possibility of Jake accidentally registering for _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_ too.  
  
It was funny, okay, you just had to be there.  
  
"Sorry, you probably don't get that joke. It was something me and Charles-"  
  
"Ugh, see?" Amy snaps, and if Jake didn't know any better he'd say she looked kind of adorable in spite of her anger. "Charles, Charles, Charles! Is he all you care about? Also it's Charles and _I_ , not me and Charles."  
  
Jake sighs inwardly, trying his best not to groan because his English teacher Mrs Jones also has a penchant for correcting his grammar. Needless to say, she's not his favorite teacher. "Uh... Amy? Are you- you're not jealous of Charles are you?"  
  
Amy huffs. "Jealous? You wish. I'm just mad at you. Because honestly? How could you!"  
  
That takes Jake to a whole new level of confusion—reaching the point of being flabbergasted. Flummoxed, even. Those are words he learnt during one of his fathers' dinner parties with their fancy smart guests he had to be well-behaved around.  
  
"Okay, I'm really sorry for whatever it is I did—but... what did I even do?"  
  
Amy crosses her arms. "Well, you abandoned me, basically, for Charles! I thought we were going to be friends and then you decided you wanted to hang out with him and not talk to me for the entire camp! It hurt, Jake."  
  
Guilt hits Jake hard suddenly, a feeling he associates with a spinning baseball bat that flew straight for his stomach in a game gone wrong a few summers back. It's a painful memory, to say the least.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that, Amy. I mean—I guess I have no excuse. Charles left five minutes after we met because he signed up for the wrong camp and wanted to go to _Little Chef Camp (Chop Chop!)_. But then he came back and I was so psyched that I forgot about anything else. Any _one..._ else. He was the first person I met at this camp, so staying his friend was a big deal."  
  
"I guess I get what you mean. Except _you_ were the first person I met at camp, Jake."  
  
Double guilt. The guilt has doubled.  
  
"I'm horrible, I get it. I'm sorry and I really hope you can forgive me and we can be friends now, for realz. Realz with a Z. That's how real our friendship will be!"  
  
"That makes no sense!" Despite that, Amy can't help but chuckle.  
  
Jake snickers along with her. "See? We're friends already!"  
  
Amy sighs, but sounds content and even happy. "I guess I can't really blame you for not talking to me. I didn't make the effort to approach you either. I just kept waiting and hoped you'd pay attention to me."  
  
Jake feels like the world's worst jerk now. "Wait—you weren't alone last year, right?"  
  
Amy shakes her head. "I had a friend. Kylie. But she's joining another camp this year, so I'm back to being alone."  
  
"Well that's where you're wrong. You have me now." Jake beams.  
  
Amy scoffs. "Because Charles isn't at camp this year?"  
  
"No, it's because you're super awesome and not being friends with you would be dumb!"  
  
Amy rolls her eyes. "You're just saying that! I know I'm just a replacement for Charles to you. A _lesser_ replacement. You don't even know me yet."  
  
Jake sighs. "Fine you're right—but only about how I don't know you well yet. But I do know you enough to make a list of reasons of why you're better than Charles! Reason the first: you have dope, cool pigtails. Charles doesn't even have hair long enough to _tie_ pigtails!"  
  
Amy nearly chokes at the ridiculousness of Jake's statements, but she enjoys the sentiment and she's starting to forgive Jake for not being friends with her last year.  
  
"You pulled my pigtails when you first saw them!"  
  
"- _because_ I was amazed by how amazing they were. And I'm all grown up now so I know better! I'm a grown ass man."  
  
Jake smiles cheekily at his use of the forbidden 'A' word, of which the phrase he used it in was picked up from watching television secretly at night, which aired movies and programming he heard on the grapevine were unsuitable for children. Which meant that they were awesome.  
  
"You're nine years old."  
  
"Fair point. Anyhoo—reason the second! You came back to _CSI Kids Camp_ for a second year in a row, which makes you a better future detective than Charles. But then again, I can't blame the guy. He really loves cooking. Still, that makes you better because you didn't ditch _CSI Kids Camp_ to join some other camp."  
  
Amy smiles. "I wouldn't have done that. My dad's a cop. He's the best detective in New York."  
  
Jake gasps. "My dad's a cop too! He's the captain of his own precinct."  
  
Amy's eyes widen in admiration. "That's so cool! I wanna be a police captain when I grow up."  
  
"And I wanna be the best detective in New York! Is it awesome or what that we both want each other's dad's jobs?"  
  
Amy giggles. "Very... awesome." She starts to fiddle with the hem of her shirt. "So... what's reason the third? There can't just be two reasons why I'm better than Charles, can there? All good lists have at least three points."  
  
"Wow, I didn't even think you cared for the reasons. Um... reason the third... I guess you're prettier than Charles and that makes you better?"  
  
The awkward gulp Amy takes and the way her eyes flash with something he recognizes as fear causes Jake to immediately realize he should have never said what he did.  
  
"I mean! Um... okay you've totally got the wrong idea. Look: Charles is cool and all, but you're definitely prettier than him. And it would be weird if you weren't! Right? I don't like-like you or anything, if that's what you're thinking, and..." Jake sighs. "I'm not making this any better, am I?"  
  
Amy shakes her head. "But thank you for trying. I guess I'm... honored to be prettier than Charles?"  
  
They both nervously look away from each other. Amy's heart is pounding, which confuses her because that only usually happens when she does sports, or gets scared—but she isn't scared of Jake.  
  
Jake on the other hand, can feel his heart in his throat and he feels so relieved when the teacher starts the lesson.  
  
Twenty minutes into class, Jake comes to a realization: the teacher is teaching the exact same stuff and demonstrating the exact same experiments he did last year.  
  
"Is it just me, or are we not learning anything new this year?" He wonders in disappointment.  
  
Amy turns around to look at him and Jake smiles because her eyes read the exact same boredom he exudes.  
  
"I don't know. Let's wait a little while, maybe he'll do something new soon."  
  
Five minutes pass.  
  
"I don't think he's doing anything new."  
  
"I mean—maybe this part's just for the new campers and he'll do something else later?"  
  
Jake shrugs. "Maybe. But in the meantime... why don't we do our own experiments?"  
  
Amy flinches in rejection of this. "Jake! No, we're not supposed to do that."  
  
"Says who?"  
  
"Says the rules. And the teacher too, before he started."  
  
"Oh. Didn't hear that. But come on! That's just for the new kids. The eight year old _losers_ who don't know anything."  
  
"Jake, we were eight last year."  
  
"But we know what we're doing! I mean, what could go wrong? They wouldn't put any dangerous stuff on our table. We're kids!"  
  
Amy sighs. She has to give him that. Adults are all very responsible, right? "I guess that's true. But-"  
  
Jake grabs a random test tube and adds solution from one bottle he finds, then drops of another solution from another bottle. The mixture bubbles and changes color. It impresses and fascinates Amy, greatly satisfying Jake. It would've been super embarrassing if nothing had happened.  
  
"That was so cool!" Amy scream-whispers excitedly. They are at the back of the class, because they had been instructed to let new campers take seats closer to the front when class started.

"Right? Let's do more!"  
  
They do a ton of experiments, mixing this with that, and shaking that with this. Some experiments fail spectacularly, but to their amazement, a lot of their experiments yield incredibly fascinating results.  
  
In hindsight, the fact that many of their experiments fizzled and bubbled so vigorously was probably a sign that the chemicals they were playing with probably weren't as safe as they thought.  
  
"Jake add that one! We haven't used it yet." Amy encourages after spotting a small bottle of liquid that they didn't see before as it had been hidden behind the other bottles.  
  
"You sure? I don't remember using that one last year."  
  
Amy rolls her eyes. "Weren't you the one who said they'd never give us anything dangerous?"  
  
Jake nods approvingly. "Someone's loosening up! Where's my good friend Amy Goodie-Two-Shoes and what did you do to her?"  
  
Amy simpers proudly before snatching the bottle from Jake, adding it to the test tube herself.  
  
They proceed to get the shock of their lives when they hear sparks, see sparks, and then Amy feels this heat—oh no, her hair's on fire!  
  
Amy screams, too scared to even notice that the entire lab of students have turned around to stare at her.  
  
Jake on the other hand, although looking just as freaked out as Amy, acts immediately, filling an empty beaker with water. He then proceeds to douse Amy's burning pigtail with it, extinguishing the fire.  
  
Unfortunately, the shock of Amy's hair catching fire scared both children so much that they drop their test tube experiment on their shared table. Which is now catching fire, eating up at the paper handouts they received earlier to guide them through the lesson. Now they're burning up, crisp white paper withering away into dust and ashes.  
  
Jake immediately drags Amy away from the fire. It isn't exactly that big, but it's definitely enough reason to evacuate the room.  
  
"Everyone out, now!" One of the counselors instructs.  
  
Jake doesn't even think about it—he grabs Amy's hand and runs—unsure over whether she's aware enough of the need to escape, given her distraught state (which she rightfully deserves to be in, as her hair was on fire less than a minute ago).

(Jake might have felt his chest tighten when he holds Amy's soft hand, her hand in his own feeling so right somehow, but he tries not to dwell on that.)  
  
"Are you okay?" He asks once they get out of the lab, concern dripping from every word. Through the windows, he can see their instructor putting out flames with a fire extinguisher.  
  
She breathes a little fast, worrying Jake. He realizes that he's still holding her hand due to stares and sniggers from nearby kids and quickly lets go.  
  
"My... my hair..." Amy shakily grasps at her pigtails, or to be more accurate— _pigtail and a half—_ because half of the hair on the right side of Amy's head has been singed to a practical crisp, and it looks... awful. Jake feels horrible, and it appears Amy is considering lashing out at him, in between the glares she directs at him which quickly turn into worried glances at her hair, and then uncertain eyes training on the ground.  
  
"I-" Jake tries to form some sort of apology, because he's the one who convinced Amy to mess around, and anyone can tell that it ended horribly.  
  
Before he can say anything however, their distraught and slightly peeved instructor walks out. His eyes dart around before locking onto Jake and Amy, tightening in recognition of the two culprits.  
  
"You two, come with me to Head Counselor Dave's office." He orders, making no effort to be as accommodating or nice as the counselors had, making Jake feel both indignant and frightened. Apparently their instructor has not seen how Amy's hair caught fire, or does not seem to care. Even though Amy isn't hurt and only her hair received any form of damage, Jake still thinks that Amy deserves a trip to the nurse's office.

* * *

  
On the way to Head Counselor Dave's office, Amy feels a very complicated mix of emotions. She's upset because her hair had gotten burnt. What will her mother say? Surely her father will be disappointed to know that she has broken the rules and played around with dangerous chemicals. She's also angry at herself for listening to Jake, unsure whether to be mad at him for convincing her to break the rules in the first place, or at herself for going along with everything.  
  
Lastly, she's scared because what if Head Counselor Dave is now angry at her, no longer the kind and patient man he was last year in lieu of her wrongdoings? She liked Head Counselor Dave, and the thought of him being disappointed in her makes her heart sink like it's plunging into the bottom of the ocean.  
  
"What's going on Mr Smith?" Head Counselor Dave asks amicably as the instructor barges in after knocking on the door, Jake and Amy trailing slowly behind him. The two audibly sigh when they are greeted with Head Counselor Dave's kind eyes, which earn them confused looks from Mr Smith.  
  
"These two started a fire in my lab! Punish them Majors, I need to go back and make sure everything is in order." Mr Smith leaves swiftly, and Head Counselor Dave just looks confused as he slams the door behind him.  
  
He curiously regards Jake and Amy. "You two started a fire?"  
  
Amy immediately peers at the ground and begins picking at her nails. Terror and fear have silenced her. Looking at Amy's state, Jake can't stop himself from blurting out what he says next.  
  
"No, sir. I started the fire. It was all me, everything was my fault. Amy didn't do anything! She even tried to stop me. Please don't punish her."  
  
From the corner of his eye, Jake sees Amy staring at him in shock, even gratitude, and well whatever punishment Head Counselor Dave can possibly dole out right now, Jake decides that it's worth it. Seeing Amy so frightened and timid had been painful.  
  
Amy's heart is beating hard and fast again. Harder and faster than it had at the lab when Jake called her pretty. Granted, it had already been beating pretty quickly and has been gaining speed since the moment she stepped into Head Counselor Dave's office, but Jake taking the fall for the both of them means that she has nothing to really worry about, so why is Amy's heart beating even faster than it had been when she was scared?  
  
Head Counselor Dave, on the other hand, appears to be amused. Kind of impressed. And maybe even pleased.  
  
"Really? I'm proud of you two. You ended up friends after last year's little 'incident', huh? Well tell you what Jake—since you were so honest, and you seem to feel remorse-"  
  
"Remorse, so much remorse." Jake appeals with a nervous gulp.  
  
Head Counselor Dave chuckles. "You're good kids. I'll let you two off with a warning. But—no more fires okay?"  
  
Jake and Amy nod their heads vigorously.  
  
"No more fires!"  
  
"Yeah," Jake agrees. "No more fires."  
  
Head Counselor Dave nods in satisfaction. "All I needed to hear. You two are free to go."  
  
The moment Jake and Amy leave Head Counselor Dave's office, Jake heaves a sigh of relief.  
  
"Phew! That went better than expected. You okay?" He inquires, looking at Amy as they head back for camp side by side.  
  
She stops walking, prompting Jake to stop too, and throws her arms around him in a tight hug. Jake nearly dies because the hug is really good. He is overwhelmed instantly by a multitude of senses—he smells Amy's hair; flowers and a hint of firewood. It isn't surprising since her hair had literally caught fire just a while ago. She is warm and soft and Jake feels her heart beating rapidly against his, just like his now is, but thinks nothing of it because Amy is probably still reeling from almost getting into big trouble.  
  
"Thank you." She goes, shyly as she pulls away from Jake, the loss of contact almost cold, making Jake feel less whole, but he figures asking her for another hug would be weird, so he ignores his feelings.  
  
Jake scratches his head. "For what? Head Counselor Dave loves us. We were never getting in trouble."  
  
Amy chortles humorlessly. "But still—you blamed yourself for everything. You didn't have to."  
  
They continue walking back to camp, and Jake contemplates holding Amy's hand, quickly deciding against it.  
  
"Of course I had to," he insists. "It was my fault anyway. I shouldn't have made you break the rules."  
  
"I was almost angry at you for that. But it's my fault too... for starting the fire and then for going along with you in the first place."  
  
"Yeah I could tell you wanted to get mad. It was so scary." Jake teases. "Remind me never to make you angry."  
  
"I'm sorry," Amy appeals sheepishly.  
  
"Apology not accepted."  
  
Amy stops walking, looking so offended that Jake can't help but burst into laughter.  
  
"Jake, stop it!" But then she starts laughing too.  
  
"I'll only accept your apology on one condition-"  
  
Amy sighs, but it is an affectionate and coy, and only proving to stretch out Jake's grin.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
She expects something really silly, especially something that would embarrass her.  
  
But she catches Jake at a loss, and Amy giggles slightly at how he doesn't even know what he wants yet.  
  
"Got it!" He exclaims. "You have to tell everyone that Jake Peralta is an amazing detective slash genius. The best. Better than you."  
  
Amy groans. "Really?" Jake is referring to the 'Amazing Detective/Genius'  badges everyone receives for solving the simulated crime challenge—the final activity that spans the last few days of camp. They are split into two teams, and everyone technically gets a badge, but the winning team obtains golden badges while the losing team settles for silver.  
  
"Yes, really."  
  
"I can't do that."  
  
Jake gets offended, but in a way so exaggerated that Amy can't help but laugh again.  
  
"Why not?!" He laments.  
  
"Because there's no proof!"  
  
"I have a golden badge to prove it."  
  
Amy scoffs. "So do I! We were on the same team, Jake. But neither of us solved the case."  
  
It had been one of the older kids who cracked it, which wasn't unusual. Campers who had at least a few years of experience attending _CSI Kids Camp_ under their belt tended to take charge of case solving. Although Jake and Amy had fun, they yearn to be the ones who can piece it all together, the heroes of the team that everyone had to thank for their gold rather than silver badges.  
  
Jake groans. "Fine, if I solve the case this year, will you call me an amazing detective slash genius?"  
  
Amy considers this. "Maybe."  
  
Jake thinks for a while more, his face soon struck by an awe-inspired smile.  
  
"How about this? If I solve the case this year, then you'll have to call me an amazing detective slash genius who is smarter than you and better in any way imaginable-"  
  
"Get to the point, Jake."  
  
"And if _you_ solve the case, I'll say the same thing about you? In front of everyone."  
  
Amy breaks into a genuine, bright smile, her competitive streak taking over as she faces Jake with an excited grin.  
  
"Deal."  
  
They shake on it.  
  
"What a day, huh? We started a fire, a cool ass bet with awesome stakes—today was fun."  
  
Amy snorts. "I wouldn't say that, but I guess it turned out better than expected."  
  
"Hmm, 'better than expected'. I'll take what I can get."  
  
"We do have one problem though. Or at least, I have one more problem."  
  
Jake's face hosts a bemused expression as he implores Amy for further context.  
  
"What are we going to do about my hair?!"  
  
Jake bursts out laughing again, his eyes crinkling in genuine amusement.  
  
"Actually, I know someone who can help you with that."

 

* * *

  
Sneaking away from the campsite after dinner when she's supposed to be taking a shower and getting ready for bed is not how Amy had envisioned her night going.  
  
"Are you sure we won't get caught?" She confirms once more as she spots Jake, waiting by the old maple oak tree as agreed upon.  
  
"Positive. Lights out isn't for another two hours. We're just sneaking out for a little while. No one'll even notice we're gone."  
  
Amy sighs in resignation. Two hours and ten minutes. It is currently 7:50 pm, and Amy is afraid of getting caught and facing an actual punishment this time. If she weren't more frightened by the prospect of her parents finding out what had happened in that lab, she would've turned down Jake's suggestion.  
  
Jake leads them to a part of the fence where she sees a small hole in the corner, just big enough for a small child to crawl through.  
  
"Are we going to have to crawl through... that?" She points hesitantly.  
  
"Not today. There's a door over there! It's unlocked, and I don't think they really care about this part of the campsite. Come on, I did this last year."  
  
After walking through the door and then up some sort of path, Amy notices two girls sitting with their backs facing them on some large stony structure. It seems incredibly cool, and strangely, even safe. How Jake and his friends found such a neat place Amy has no idea. Maybe it pays to break the rules once in a while.  
  
"Gina!" Jake calls fondly, prompting the two girls to whip their heads around. Amy recognizes Gina, but not the other girl she's with. Said girl has dark curly hair Amy admires, especially in light of how her own hair is currently a freshly-burned mess.  
  
"Jacob!" Gina stands up, and gives Jake a quick hug. As she breaks apart and moves back, she sees Amy and gasps.  
  
"God, what is up with your hair? Was it like that last year? I don't remember it being like that last year." Gina is disgusted and even terrified by Amy's hair, which she can't be blamed for.  
  
"Actually, that's why we're here," Jake explains. "We kinda started a fire that burnt Amy's hair off."  
  
Gina's jaw drops in excitement. Her friend looks almost as amused and even nods slightly in approval.  
  
"Dope." She comments.  
  
"This Rosa? I heard a lot about you from Gina-" Gina appears embarrassed by this reveal, but Rosa smiles slyly. Until Jake offers his hand to her.  
  
"I don't do handshakes."  
  
Jake bites his bottom lip awkwardly. "Okay. Cool cool cool cool cool. I don't feel rejected at all. Anyway Gina—we need you to help Amy."  
  
"How? Girl's a _lost cause._ "  
  
Amy frowns, and Jake heartens at that. "Oh come on, Gina. Maybe you could give her a haircut or something?" He turns to look at Amy. "That okay?"  
  
Amy nods. Coming home with a sudden haircut is not the ideal way she wants to greet her parents when they pick her up after camp, but it would still be easier to deal with as compared to explaining how she burned her hair off.  
  
"You got scissors?" Jake asks.  
  
"Jake, why would she have-"  
  
Just as Amy starts, Gina whips a pair of scissors out from her jacket's pocket.  
  
"Of course I do, I'm not an animal." She beckons over to Amy. "Get over here."  
  
Amy is worried about Gina making her hair even worse off, but thankfully since Amy's hair was pretty long to begin with, it still ends up past her shoulders once Gina is done snipping.  
  
Amy reaches for her hair ties after Gina declares the conclusion of the haircut, but Gina scrambles for them first and holds them away from Amy's reach.  
  
"No! No more pigtails. That's my only request. Take it as your payment for the haircut."  
  
Amy frowns. "What's wrong with pigtails?"  
  
"Don't get me started, girl. Word of advice? Avoid tying up your hair at all. Pulled-back hair is a crime against god."  
  
"Isn't it always neater to tie your hair up?"  
  
Gina sighs. "Someone's stubborn. Jake!"  
  
"Yeah?" He was telling Rosa about Amy and his eventful day, and to his relief, she was actually interested. Especially regarding the fire they started.  
  
"Doesn't Amy look so much prettier with her hair down like this than when she had it tied up?"  
  
Jake freezes. "Uh, yeah. So beautiful."  
  
Gina laughs. "I asked you to agree with me, not confess your undying love. Anyway—wanna see the dance Rosa and I were practicing today?"  
  
This time, Rosa freezes. "No."  
  
"Come on, Rosa! You can do a triple pirouette but you won't do the tango?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Jake looks very impressed, and Amy is still blushing and not sure what to do with the fact that Jake had called her beautiful.  
  
"You can do a triple pirouette? That's so cool! Also what is a pirouette again? I totally know what it means I'm just uh, checking."  
  
Rosa rolls her eyes. "I can't pirouette here, it's dangerous."  
  
Amy nods in assent. "That's true."  
  
"Is no one going to explain what a pirouette is?"  
  
Gina chuckles. "Apparently not."  
  
Amy looks at her watch. "Oh no! It's nine—Jake, we should get back!"  
  
Jake groans. "Ten more minutes?"  
  
"We'll get caught!"  
  
"Relax, I stayed out till 9:30 last year."  
  
Amy huffs, crossing her arms and trying to think of ways to convince him.  
  
Before Jake can make another worrying suggestion to stay out late, she gets the perfect idea.  
  
"We go back now or the bet's off."  
  
Jake stands up immediately. "No fair! We shook on it."  
  
Amy shrugs. "Too bad."  
  
"What bet?" Gina asks.  
  
Jake turns pleadingly to Amy. "At least let me explain the bet before we go."  
  
"Didn't you say you meet every night? You can just tell them tomorrow!"

* * *

  
Jake doesn't get to explain their bet that night, but it doesn't matter because Jake and Amy don't even get to have their bet that year. Weather forecasts suddenly predict a hurricane heading in the direction of their campsite, and as a precautionary measure all camps being held in that area are cut short, and camps that have yet to start are to be postponed or cancelled.  
  
The two week long _CSI Kids Camp_  is shortened to a week and a half. It is especially disappointing because all campers' parents and legal guardians are contacted to pick the children up the day before the crime simulation/case solving competition is scheduled to start.  
  
Jake and Amy are especially bummed out—aside from their heated, super high stakes bet, the case solving is their favorite part of the entire camp in the first place. Getting to feel like a super smart, super cool detective is the best, and definitely one of the top five reasons they came back to _CSI Kids Camp_ for a second year.  
  
"Can't believe we're going home _badge-less_." Jake sighs as he drags his heavy bag behind him. Amy and himself are at the pick-up point, waiting for their parents to arrive. "How can I face my family like this?"  
  
Amy finds his highly exaggerated disappointment really funny, yet she can't help but agree.  
  
"It's okay, Jake. We can always have the bet next year. You're coming back next year too, right?"  
  
Jake nods. "You know it. I can't wait for next summer."  
  
Amy beams, looking at the matching friendship bracelets Jake and herself made, and are now both wearing. "I can't wait either. I had a lot of fun this year, Jake." She presses her lips together shyly. "Thank you."  
  
Jake looks down and curls his toes in his sneakers. "Hey, it wasn't just me. You made it really fun too."  
  
It was endless games of cops and robbers in which Jake and Amy teamed up during to take down other kids—their legs small but speedy, their strides short but efficient. The sweaty and dirt-covered high fives that followed every victory. It was chasing each other around the playground and taking turns to push each other on the swing.  
  
It was the popcorn they wolfed down together during movie nights where they showed the Spy Kids movies (sadly they didn't show Die Hard yet, but that was expected). It was the jokes and banter, quips and jibber jabber, the light-hearted give and take they had developed.  
  
It was Jake time and again convincing Amy to sneak out with him so they could meet up with Gina and Rosa, the four of them messing around and sharing anecdotes about their days and then lying down on the rocks to watch the starry night sky, hoping for shooting stars so they could make wishes.  
  
It was those lazy afternoons with all sorts of board games and Jake having the time of his life playing against a highly competitive Amy that most would describe as 'terrifying', but to Jake only made the game more fun. It was those fun facts Amy would share during field trips, and the excitement she had for even the most boring of museums.  
  
And last but not least, it was the arts and crafts box they found one day which turned into hideous works of trash, and then finally two friendship bracelets made on a whim, which were both now secured around each of their wrists.  
  
_Those were the things that made Jake and Amy's second year at CSI Kids Camp so enjoyable and unforgettable._  
  
They spend much too long just standing there together in silence. It had been so easy to exchange words and toothy grins during the camp—but now that it's over the two find themselves to be rather tongue-tied. It seems saying goodbye is proving difficult, even though it's only until next summer.  
  
_Yeah, it's not goodbye forever, right?_ Jake thinks, finally deciding to say something.  
  
"Good luck for school next year. I heard fourth grade's gonna _suck."_ Jake sighs, for some sort of dramatic effect.  
  
Amy smirks proudly, which momentarily confuses Jake.  
  
"I'm not going to be in the fourth grade next year."  
  
Jake gets even more confused. "What? Why not? Aren't we the same age?"  
  
Amy's smirk is even wider now. "I'm... _skipping_ the fourth grade."  
  
Jake's mouth flies open. "WHAT?! No way! Are you—are you for real? You're _skipping_ the fourth grade? I thought only geniuses skipped grades! Are you a genius?"  
  
Just then, a car horn blares and Amy glances over, smiling in recognition. She waves at the driver and signals that she would be heading over soon. She turns around to look at Jake one last time.  
  
"Maybe I am, who knows?"  
  
And then Amy skips off happily towards her car and waves to Jake as her car drives away, knowing full well that she had left him there frozen and in awe of her academic prowess.

 

* * *

  
Jake waits around for a few more minutes before Gina arrives, giving him a half-hearted and very obviously disappointed greeting, but Jake understands the sentiment. Heck, he feels it too.  
  
He sighs along with her when Holt and Kevin drive up in Gertie and the two children get into the car.  
  
"How are you feeling, children?" Kevin asks in a careful display of concern as Jake and Gina buckle their seat belts.  
  
"I guess I'm okay," Jake mutters, although the truth of that statement is uncertain.  
  
"It feels like the world just ended." Gina groans, dropping her head back against the head rest before sitting back up to say something else. "No wait—the world _has_ ended. I hate this! Who cares if a hurricane hits?"  
  
Kevin and Raymond exchange quick, furtive glances before Kevin turns around to look at Gina.  
  
"Gina, was there an activity you really wanted to do in camp before it ended early for the year?"  
  
Gina nods readily. "Yeah! Jessica Hayes and I were supposed to have our dance off today. Then that stupid hurricane had to come and the camp counselors chickened out and made us all go home so they could run away too. Cowards."  
  
"Who's Jessica?" Jake asks inquisitively, knowing full well that he's about to hear a good story.  
  
"The worst. The worst person you'll ever meet, ever. Jessica Hayes just joined camp this year—and I hate her."  
  
"Why?" Jake takes over the asking of questions, and Kevin is relieved in a sense. He supposes the children understand each other and can make each other feel better in ways more appropriate than he could ever think of.  
  
"She thinks she's the best dancer in the world—but she's wrong! So I have to show her who's boss in a dance off. Also... she was really mean to Rosa when we first met this year."  
  
Jake's face scrunches up. "That sucks. What did she say to Rosa?"  
  
Gina huffs, folding her arms tightly as if upset by the very memory of the injustice committed against her... friend.  
  
"Rosa and I were learning moves to the salsa that we were just taught in class one morning, and then that monster had to walk in and make fun of Rosa! She said that Rosa only knew how to point her toes and spin in a tutu!"  
  
Jake gasps instinctively, but then reconsiders this. "Wait, is that supposed to be really hurtful? Because if someone told me I was really good at ballet I'd be super touched."  
  
"It's the worst possible insult in the world of dance, Jake!"  
  
Jake decides not to contend this and proceeds to gasp even harder to show how shocked he is that someone would dare say something like that to Rosa. And live.  
  
"So is that when you challenged her to the dance off?"  
  
Gina shakes her head. "Not yet. I made sure to tell her off and hold Rosa back just in case. She once ripped another girl's scented erasers up into little pieces because she kept hoarding the good markers. Who knew what she would've done to Jessica? I was doing that bully a _service_."  
  
Jake nods in acknowledgement. Rosa can be really terrifying—needless to say, she is the perfect match for Gina.  
  
"Was Rosa really mad?"  
  
Gina presses her lips together as she reflects on this. "Not... not really, actually. Hmm—when I really think about it, I was the only one angry with Jessica. But I'm sure Rosa was just hiding how much she wanted to strangle Jessica with her toes. She learnt how to do that at her classical dance academy."  
  
Kevin and Raymond both raise their eyebrows and exchange silent looks at this, but decide it best not to comment on the possibly volatile nature of Gina's friend. And of Gina herself.  
  
Jake sighs in envy. He wished he knew how to strangle stuff with his toes too.  
  
"So after I was done yelling at Jessica for being an annoying loser, she just smiled like the stupid-face she is and bragged about how she didn't care what I thought because she was the 'best dancer in our entire camp'—so I challenged her to a dance off."  
  
Jake nods. He has questions regarding how said dance off was supposed to work and how one would win such a dance off, but he withholds the questions because it isn't a good time to ask.  
  
"I'm sorry you didn't get to crush her in the dance off Gina." Jake offers her a gentle pat on the shoulder, as well as a sympathetic frown.  
  
Gina shrugs. "It's okay. I guess this just means that I'll have more time to practice—and maybe next year I can convince Rosa to join me in the dance off against Jessica."  
  
"Why won't Rosa join you?" Jake asks, quirking an eyebrow in confusion.  
  
"She said she doesn't care for dance offs, but I dunno. Maybe she really does think she's only good at ballet." Gina takes a deep breath, seemingly to compose herself. "Anyway, what about you Jake? Are you upset they cancelled that case solving stuff and you and Amy couldn't have your bet?"  
  
"Who's Amy?" Raymond asks as they stopped at a red traffic light.  
  
"A friend."  
  
"The love of Jake's life."  
  
They say this simultaneously, and Jake nearly flinches at Gina's answer. She only laughs in his face.  
  
"Gina! I never said—she—she's not the love of my life! Or my love. Or my life. _Just a friend."_  
  
Gina is in stitches from laughing. "Uh huh. Sure."  
  
Kevin and Raymond exchange smiles.  
  
"Jacob—how did you meet this Amy? Is she a new camper?"  
  
Jake shakes his head. "I met her last year, but back then I was friends with Charles and she had this other friend too. But neither of them are back this year so we decided to hang out. Amy's really smart—she's skipping the fourth grade!"  
  
"Impressive!"  
  
"What a nerd."  
  
Jake shrugs, his feelings about stuff like kids skipping grades were usually the same as Gina's, but because it is Amy, his good friend, he actually feels similarly to his parents.  
  
"We were both upset at first that they canceled the case because of the hurricane—but I'm okay because we promised to have the bet next year instead."  
  
Kevin and Raymond wonder what the bet was, but they decide it's best not to pry too much since the two children no longer seem as upset about camp getting cut short, and they don't want to set them off.  
  
"I know it's disappointing that camp ended a few days early children, but I'm sure you'll have a lot more fun next year. Are you feeling better now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We are."  
  
And Jake and Gina mean it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all like this!!! nothing happened again still but its 7k so yeah whatevs


	3. year 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> changed the tense of the fic from past to present!!

The next year, Jake and Gina are driven to camp by Kevin and Raymond, causing them to be about half an hour early. Jake and Gina quickly go their separate ways to look for Amy and Rosa respectively, plans to meet already set in stone.

Jake hangs out at the playground, looking _everywhere_ for Amy, who is no where to be seen or found. Jake plays around on his own, but it’s much less fun without Amy around. A part of him worries that she isn't coming back to camp this year after all, but he saves her a seat in forensic lab anyway. Maybe she’s just late—even though he very clearly remembers _several_ instances of Amy bragging about how she is _never_ late. It is a point of pride with her.

Thus Jake makes a mental note to tease Amy about being late if she shows up; he gets his chance when Amy comes walking through the front door five minutes before class is officially supposed to start.

The only problem is—some boy is following right behind Amy. And they’re _talking_. Has... has Amy replaced him?

A thousand insecurities ravage his mind. What if this is her ultimate revenge against him for not being friends with her their first year of camp? Did she befriend him just to make it hurt all the more when she abandoned him for someone else? Or did she meet another camper and just thought he was cooler than Jake? Or-

Jake clears his mind and rejects any more negative thoughts that threaten to surface, beckoning Amy over to his table.

"Ames! Over here! I saved you a seat."

To his relief and delight, Amy beams as she makes eye contact with him, waving excitedly, scrambling for the seat next to Jake. This greatly pleases him, as Amy was in such a rush to sit by him she almost tripped whilst climbing up the high stool.

On a much _less_ happier note, the boy that was talking to Amy on the way in follows Amy all the way to Jake and Amy's table. Jake tries to hold back a scowl and fails.

"Amy—I thought _we_ were going to sit together," he whines grouchily. Jake's head whips around to look at Amy, his eyes begging her not to leave.

"I'm sorry Teddy—I told you before, I already promised Jake I'd sit with him."

Teddy crosses his arms in a huff, clearly resentful of her stance on the matter. "Can't Jake sit with someone else? You're my only friend here."

Amy appeals to Jake with a look—she needs his help getting this Teddy guy away, whoever he is.

"Sorry dude—I already rejected like, ten people so I could sit with Amy over here."

Amy nods readily, which Jake takes to mean he did well.

"If so many people want to sit with you—then just find someone else and let me have Amy! She's the only one who wants to sit with me."

"Really? Because it doesn't look like she _wants_ to sit with you. Like _at all._ "

Teddy sneers smugly, as if _Jake_ was the oblivious idiot that they were all trying to let down easy over here.

"You seriously think that?" He chortles in the most disconcerting manner, especially given his young age. "Amy's only sitting with you because you _made_ her promise you last year."

Jake throws an incredulous look at Amy. "Really? What do _you_ have to say about that, Ames?"

He’s giving Amy a clear opening to reject Teddy—and she takes it. Perhaps a little _too_ aggressively, but to be fair Teddy has been exasperating her, and she has had enough.

"Teddy! I don't wanna sit with you, I wanna sit with _Jake_! Just _go away_!"

A few curious heads turn around to locate the source of noise causing Amy to bury her head in her hands in embarrassment. Unlike some of the disapproving looks thrown Amy's way, Jake’s just pleasantly surprised and even offers Amy a few encouraging pats on the shoulder.

Teddy finally seems to be putting two and two together—seriously, how dense is this guy? When he figures everything out he gets absolutely distraught. Jake almost feels sorry for the guy, but it was his fault for being such a pain in the ass.

"Amy?" Amy peers at Teddy, who appears to be on the verge of tears. "Is—is Jake your _boyfriend_?"

_Okay_ , Jake did not expect Teddy to come to _that_ conclusion. He freezes, his legs going numb, his heart beating fast. He can't find any words, can't confirm nor deny Teddy's assumptions.

Suddenly, Jake feels Amy's arms wrap around his—his head quickly flicks and gives Amy a look. She returns one that convinces him to go along with it.

"Y-yes... Teddy. Jake _is_ my boyfriend. That's why I have to sit next to him. I... _love him._ "

"I-I can't believe this..."

Amy presses her lips against Jake’s cheek in what he can only describe as a very wet kiss, and he knows little else about what is happening aside from the fact that he can't breathe. Amy just... _kissed_ him. Okay. Nothing wrong with that. Just a little cheek kiss. His first ever cheek kiss. That Jake knows of, of course. Who knew how many adults had kissed him as a baby? Jake’s getting off track. He feels like he’s supposed to say something.

"Yes... We are lovers... in... beds?"

"Huh?" Amy asks in confusion, to which Jake only shrugs.

"I dunno," he gives her a nervous grin, because he really is trying his best but sadly all he succeeds in doing is being an awkward mess who has no idea what he’s really saying. He elects to shut up.

"Anyway...” Amy clears her throat.

"I get it, you guys," Teddy interrupts, voice throaty and rigid, making it seem like he really is about to cry now. "I'll sit somewhere else."

Then Teddy runs away from Jake and Amy's table, presumably to hide his emotions. Jake exhales in relief as Amy lets go of his arm.

_"Lovers in beds?_ What does that even mean?"

Jake widens his eyes uncertainly at Amy. "I _panicked_ , okay? I had no idea what to say!"

Amy offers him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Jake—but Teddy wouldn't leave me alone no matter _what_ I did. Weird how the only thing that worked was pretending you were my boyfriend."

Jake is still pretty confused over how Amy knows Teddy at all, but he pushes those questions aside in order to mess with her.

"Oh it's okay. I was surprised and all that but I'm so psyched about having a girlfriend now!"

Amy gets this terrified glint in her eyes and Jake has to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing.

"What? Who?"

Jake snorts. "You, duh! I mean you kissed me and everything—when are you free? You should meet my parents."

Amy looks mortified and Jake bursts out laughing. She understands after that, letting out a sigh of relief before hitting him on the shoulder.

"Jake! You scared me!"

Jake can't stop laughing and it’s beginning to attract attention so he tries his best to stop himself. "You should've seen the look on your face–“

"Well, I thought you were going _crazy_!"

"Come on, do I look like I want a girlfriend that badly?"

"I thought..." Amy scratches her head sheepishly. "Okay you see—my mom _always_ says that I shouldn't let boys kiss me because I'll get germs and fall sick. I didn't believe her but for a moment I thought me kissing you made–“

"Oh no wait! I feel it now—your girl germs have poisoned me–“ Jake stretches his arms out as if in a trance–"I'm a zombie now!"

Amy cracks up. "Jake! Stop it!"

"Amy..." He rolls his eyes back into his head which freaks Amy out. "I'm hungry... For your love..."

He leans into her suddenly with the intention of scaring her and she shoves him, shaking with laughter at Jake's antics. They only stop laughing when a nearby counselor goes up to their table to tell them to keep it down (the number of supervising counselors during _Catching Criminals With Chemistry!_ had increased twofold after Jake and Amy had their little... _accident_ last year).

"But seriously," Amy quips in her smallest possible voice when the counselor finally leaves them alone. "Sorry for kissing you on the cheek or whatever. I was afraid Teddy wouldn't believe us."

"No biggie." Jake shrugs, talking in his normal, but noticeably softer voice as he shifts in his seat. "Kiss was pretty wet but you gotta do what you gotta do. Who's Teddy by the way?"

Amy groans. "You know how I skipped the fourth grade?"

"How could I ever?"

Amy blushes, touched by the genuinely proud look on Jake’s face. "Well, because of that I'm in the fifth grade now so—new classmates. _Including_ Teddy."

Jake makes a face. "I don't like him."

"I don't like him either. I mean, we were friends, but now he's being all..."

"He _totally_ has a huge crush on you by the way. Like the most _obvious_ crush in the world."

Amy sighs. "Yeah, I know, he told me. That's why I don't like him anymore. He was _supposed_ to be my friend—my _only_ friend in class since all the other older kids don't want to talk to me. And now I know he didn’t want to be friends at all, he just wanted me to be his girlfriend. Which, I guess... is a sort of friend. But it’s not the same.”

Jake looks personally offended on Amy's behalf. "Why don’t the other kids want to be your friend?”

Amy raises an eyebrow as if her being an outcast is something that goes without saying. "Come on, Jake—I'm a year younger than them but I'm in the same grade. They _all_ think I'm a nerd."

Jake tries not to think about how he might've been one of those kids. Obviously knowing Amy as well as he does, he'd never do anything remotely mean to her—but the other kids saw Amy as a stranger. A younger stranger whom they had never met, who was seen by the school as smart enough to study in their grade— _smarter_ than them. It could easily spawn a lot of resentment.

"They're just jealous because they're not smart like you."

Amy smiles a soft, grateful smile, partially for his benefit. "Thanks Jake."

"Anyway—what happened with you and Teddy?"

"He told me he liked me. And asked me to be his girlfriend. I said no, but he said he'd wait for me?" Jake’s eyebrows scrunch up disapprovingly. "And like–“ Amy sighs, running her fingers through her hair–“he's here because he asked me what my plans were for the summer, and I told him because I didn't think he'd come but I was wrong and he's here now. At _CSI Kids Camp._ " Amy sighs again, deeper and longer this time around, burying her head in her hands.

"That's a bummer."

"Teddy was my only friend in class—and he had to ruin it all by trying to be my boyfriend. Why did he have to have a stupid _crush_ on me?"

Jake shrugs, looking insecure as she says this. "I don't know—I mean, yeah, he's being really creepy and stalker-y about his crush on you but... it's not hard to imagine _why_ he'd have a crush on _you_."

Amy’s cheeks go red, and Jake realizes his words came out all wrong. "But like—the way he keeps following you... and how he tried to fight to sit with you earlier was _super_ annoying, right? He needs to learn to back, to back off!"

Jake flubs his words towards the end, but Amy pretends not to notice.

"Yeah, you're right. I hope he doesn't bother us anymore."

Unfortunately, Amy does not get her wish. Jake and Amy have a good time doing experiments together in the lab—they even end up learning a few new experiments in class it’s a whole lot of fun.

But when they leave the lab, a bunch of kids crowd around Jake and Amy.

"Jake and Amy sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

They aren't sure how word got out that they were supposedly dating. Maybe these kids heard the commotion with Teddy earlier, maybe he told some people. Either way, word had spread.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby sittin' in a carriage!"

Jake glances nervously at Amy, who just goes pink at the cheeks. _"If we're still pretending to be a couple,_ " he whispers. "Is this all supposed to make us happy or upset?"

Amy isn’t sure which is the right option here. "Let's just... ignore them."

"Okay." He takes Amy's hand in his, causing her to give him a look that has heat rising up his cheeks.

"I mean... it's to make Teddy think we're together. _Unless_ that was just a one time thing so he wouldn't sit with you?"

Amy nods, composing herself. "No, _yeah_ , you're right. Keep holding my hand please."

Jake starts swinging their hands together back and forth and it makes Amy giggle.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Making this fun! Isn't it fun?"

Amy has to agree with him. "Yeah, it is." She swings her arm back and forth along with Jake.

They spend the entire day trying to stay away from Teddy. Thankfully, it seems he made a few friends throughout the day, so he doesn't try bugging them anymore and Jake and Amy don’t have to spend so much time pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend and can just focus on being friends.

Halfway through a game of Go Fish after they have lunch— _it was marinara pasta, and Amy had to help Jake wipe his mouth with tissue afterwards because he had gotten sauce all over his face_ —Jake comes up with what he thinks is an incredible idea.

"Hey—you know what would be fun?"

"What? And do you have the Six of Clubs?"

Jake shakes his head. "Go Fish. We should _totally_ prank Gina and Rosa later."

This piques Amy’s interest slightly as she fishes for a card from the deck. "What prank?"

"We should pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend."

Amy regards Jake uncertainly.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I mean—they'd never believe I could get a girlfriend. Especially not someone like _you_. It would blow their minds. Also, do you have a Three? Spades?"

Amy hands Jake the card. "I don't see how that would be a good prank. What if they believe us?"

"That's the point of the prank!" Jake emphasizes excitedly, gesticulating so wildly he nearly drops his cards. "We get them to believe us, make them think I'm a _super_ smooth dude—then tell them it was all a prank."

"Fine." Amy relents. "I owe you one anyway."

Jake lowers his cards. "Um, if you feel weird about it we don't have to–“

"No!" Amy insists, putting on a confident smile. "I'm completely okay with that, I'm just not sure how good of a prank it is."

"It's the best prank, Ames! I mean me? Dating a girl as pretty as you? Gina's gonna think it's the end of the world!"

Amy bites the inside of her cheek, still not used to all of the random compliments Jake would drop on her during conversation.

"Do you have the Queen of Hearts?"

"Go Fish."

 

* * *

 

Later, Jake and Amy sneak out of their campsite to the secret place they always meet Gina and Rosa. As usual, the sky is pitch black with the exception of sparkling stars that twinkle brightly, lining brilliant clouds resembling puffs of smoke. Amy's heart thunders in her chest as she looks up; it always does when she breaks a rule. But the trust she built with Jake last year is still going strong, and allows her fears of getting caught to subside. _Mostly_ , anyway 

"So what have Gina and Rosa been up to at camp?" Amy asks as Jake opens the hidden gate for her to walk through. Dry leaves crunch under their feet as they pace up the pathway. Jake stretches his hand out towards Amy and she takes it without question.

There they are, walking hand in hand up a steep slope on their way to trick their friends into thinking that they’re dating, but the only ones they’re lying to are themselves and each other.

"Gina was supposed to have this dance off with some mean girl at dance camp—only last time I heard, Rosa didn't want to be in the dance off."

"Why not?" Amy asks Jake with a bewildered expression, and for some reason seeing Amy's face makes Jake's heart jolt in place and he has to look away to compose himself. Suddenly—all this spontaneous hand holding, pretending to date just to pull a fast one on his friends—it feels like a _horrible_ idea.

"Uh, like. Rosa—she." Jake can't think, a gust of wind blows Amy's hair so close to his face he catches a whiff of strawberries and cream. It’s different from how he remembers her hair smelled like last year, but there’s still that unidentifiable _scent_ which is uniquely Amy's. It’s sweet and intoxicating and makes Jake feel all dizzy. "Well the short answer is because Rosa is Rosa."

"Oh," Amy hums. "So what's the long answer?"

Jake takes deep breath. What is wrong with him? That was a simple, _two word_ question that Amy just asked, and all he did was sound like an idiot.

"Mean girl who Gina's in the dance off with was mean to Rosa—said she only knew classical dance and wasn't good at any other dance. Maybe Rosa agrees with her, and doesn't want to embarrass herself by joining Gina in the dance off."

Amy pouts, and that small, considerably insignificant expression leaves Jake overwhelmed beyond belief. How does she get her lips to do _that_? It is a pout like one Jake has never seen before, and it just looks _great_ somehow. Her eyes: they sparkle and show so much emotion in them, leaving Jake reeling, reeling for her.

Why is he reacting like that to Amy? Is he sick? Did he catch a cold? It _is_ pretty chilly out, but getting to hold Amy's hand makes Jake feel-

"I really hope Rosa doesn't believe any of that. I'm sure she can master any dance—not _just_ ballet."

Oh, Amy is so _kind_! And hopeful and believing and nurturing and—isn't she the best? If Jake were Rosa and Amy had said that to him he'd immediately feel like he definitely _could_ do any type of dance and be the best in the world at it and— _Jake has a problem, doesn't he?_ This is bad, this is _very_ –

"Jake the rake!" Gina interrupts, conveniently cutting Jake's train of thought short, much to his relief, and as she has often done so—puts a somewhat creative spin on Jake's name. "Over here!"

Jake and Amy do not let go of each other's hands as they quicken their paces and make their way to Gina and Rosa, of whom the latter's eyes stray to their interlocked hands curiously but does not comment.

"Hey Genie," Jake playfully greets as he sits down on one of the rocks next to Amy, making sure to give her the good rock first.

"You will _not_ believe how the dance off went!" Gina groans as she crosses her legs in frustration, prepared to recant an angry tale. Rosa gives her a few gentle pats on the back as if to calm down the angry ten year old wearing a bright sequin-covered shirt.

"Uh oh," Jake grimaces as he shifts around to find a comfortable position. "What happened?"

"Jessica Hayes has a little _army_ of followers," Gina says contemptuously, clearly full of resentment and envy. "She could do a _robot dance_ and still _win_ the stupid dance off. It wasn't fair at all!"

"I'm sorry, but what's wrong with robot dancing? That sounds cool," Jake enthuses, picturing himself mastering all sorts of cool robot dances. He would dress up as a robot and break dance, and it would be amazing (Jake wasn't exactly sure what robot dancing was, but he figured it'd be something like that).

"Also, how do these dance offs even work?" Amy asks curiously. "Is there a point system? What are the rules?"

Jake smirks because it’s just so _Amy_ to ask about rules. He finds it incredibly adorable, but at the same time he harbors the exact same questions because he has no clue what Gina is saying for the most part.

"No point system. Basically the one who gets more cheers wins until someone decides to back down. Or break time is over and the dance instructors call us back in for class."

"The dance off lasted two hours because Gina refused to give up," Rosa comments. Yet no one can tell whether Gina's determination is something she’s inspired or annoyed by.

Gina gives Rosa a resentful look. "Well, maybe it _would've_ ended earlier if you had decided to _cheer_ for me."

"I told you," Rosa retorts. "I don't do that stuff."

"What, you don't make any noise? Yell in support of your friends?"

Jake and Amy share an awkward look. They have a feeling this isn't the first time Gina and Rosa have argued over this.

"No. I'm the friend that _punches_ those who try to boo you in the arm." Rosa emphasizes, which makes Gina crack a smile.

"Aww you beat someone up for Gina?" Jake interjects, turning to Amy with a sweet look on his face. "Why aren't _you_ beating people up for me?"

"Okay _that's_ _it_ ," Rosa groans. "What's going on with that?" She gestures almost fearfully at Jake and Amy's interlocked hands, given the way her finger shakes.

"Amy's my girlfriend," he kisses Amy on the palm. "We're dating."

Gina scoffs and almost starts cackling, earning strange looks from the others. "Amy, sweetie—how much did Jake pay you to pretend to be his girlfriend as a prank?"

"What?" Jake lets go of Amy's hand in defeat. " _Come on!_ Why didn't you fall for that?"

Gina doesn't even seem amused. "You two aren't there yet."

Amy shoots Gina with a look. "What does _that_ mean?"

"It means y'all aren't at the _dating_ stage yet. Have you met either of you?"

"I don't get it," Jake says, already offended. "What are you trying to say? That I can't get a girlfriend?"

"I'm _trying_ to say that the two of you won't start dating now. Fifth or sixth year of camp? _Maybe_. But not _third_ , you silly kids. Right now you two are in the flirty... playful stage. Something like this. Hence that 'prank'." She exhales humorously. "How'd y'all think of this anyway?"

"Jake didn't _pay_ me to pretend to be his girlfriend," Amy admits. "I made him pretend to be my boyfriend first."

Rosa raises an eyebrow at this and Gina sits up straight, now very interested in this turn of events.

"What? No way, how did that happen? You're _spilling_ , Santiago."

 

* * *

 

 

After Jake and Amy tell Gina and Rosa about the whole Teddy debacle, it starts to get worryingly late, so Jake and Amy head back to the campsite. Amy’s acting all silent and distant though, and it’s beginning to make Jake nervous.

"Hey," he ekes out the word, finally digging up the courage to. "What's wrong?"

Amy shakes her head. "Nothing. Just... the stuff that Gina said."

"Oh. The stuff about us, huh. Yeah, that prank was a bad idea, I'm sorry for putting you up to it."

"It's fine—she just... seemed so _sure_ about us. Y'know, all that _fifth year sixth year_ dating stuff."

Jake tenses up. "I'm sorry, Gina's just being dramatic like she always is. It doesn't mean anything."

"But what if it does?"

Jake looks wistfully at Amy, but she starts staring at the ground.

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

"What?" Amy shoots Jake with a look that makes him instantly regret his words.

"I mean! Not that—um, look: why don't we make a pact to never date? That way Gina will never be right, would that make you feel better?"

Amy shrugs. "I guess."

" _Great_. It's a deal then." He holds his hand out and Amy shakes it.

Neither of them look especially happy about this deal though.

 

* * *

 

"Alright kids, split up into two different detective squads for our _Crime Scene Investigation Fest!_ As usual, you will all be required to work in your teams to solve a _special_ case. This grueling mystery will require wit, grit, and your ability to think _outside_ the box! So put on your thinking caps and may the best team win!"

The Crime Scene Investigation Fest is the three day long final activity at CSI Kids Camp, and has less to do with case solving and more to do with:

  * Dramatic reenactments performed by the camp counselors (meant to represent footage found at the crime scene)
  * A scavenger hunt for the most random of clues
  * Games played with both teams competing for valuable "evidence" they need to support their case
  * And then to top it all off, a fake trial where both teams have to present their findings in court for the "judge" (played by _Head Counselor Dave._ Yeah. It was awesome.)



Despite the coolness and excitement surrounding the final and most favored activity of CSI Kids Camp, Jake and Amy are lamenting as they can’t carry out their bet as agreed upon.

"I can't believe we have to push back our bet _again_ ," Jake grumbles. “Why do we have to be on the same team just because we're a couple?"

Amy gives him an apologetic look. They are trailing behind their teammates, who busy themselves with finding a place to gather to discuss strategy before the first game of the activity starts.

"I'm sorry Jake, but you know Teddy will only stay away from me if I'm on the same team as you. Besides, we can't let him suspect anything. Remember what happened at the war history museum?"

"I remember seeing guns and canons and stuff. That was awesome," Jake gushes as he recalls the amazing experiences during the field trip. They learnt about wars, so many wars, and all the heroes who fought for their country.

"Yeah. You forgot the part where you were distracted and stayed at the gun exhibit for too long, got _left_ _behind_ by the group, and because of that Teddy asked me why I was dating someone who cared more about guns than _me_!"

Jake groans. "That dude would say _anything_ to make you break up with me—what's wrong with looking at cool guns?"

Amy crosses her arms. "Well, nothing," she sighs. “But it was scary, okay? I was so worried about what he would do."

Jake feels her words like a kick to the shin, a whole new understanding of how Amy felt that day causing him to exhale sharply in guilt. He was supposed to _take care_ of Amy, make sure Teddy didn't do anything to make her feel uncomfortable again. But there he was, staring at guns, leaving her in the lurch.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "I promised to be your fake boyfriend and that meant sticking close by no matter _how_ much that museum gun looked _exactly_ like the gun from Die Hard."

Amy cracks a smile, endeared by his deep devotion to the movie she’s never seen. "It's okay. Nothing really bad happened, right? I found you, and he went away once he got sick of me being all... gooey and disgusting."

Jake pettily recalls the rage displayed and restrained on Teddy's face when Amy came up to him with the sweetest look on her face, slipping her hand in his and asking _'Honey, where were you? I was so worried!'_ Guns and bloody knives and all that cool war stuff completely _lost_ to Amy. She had claimed his full attention—sure, it was all _acting_ and _pretend_ but in that moment and many, _many_ moments like it before Jake had completely lost it for her and his heart kept pounding like crazy because of the things she said and did. Heck, her very _presence_ made his heart want to beat out of his chest.

"Oh, he looked mad." Jake grins. "If he had stuck around any longer, I'd have had to kiss you."

Amy bites her lip and Jake gets overwhelmed by his feelings again- crap, this past week and a half have been the hardest days of Jake's life. He has a crush on her, a huge big _stupid_ crush on her, he knows it now, and no one has ever prepared him for feelings of this intensity.

"Shut up, Jake." She lightly pushes him, but it’s half-hearted and her cheeks are reddening again. It makes Jake weirdly happy to see her so shy because of him.

"Why, Amy?" He clutches his heart dramatically and pretends to be in pain. "I thought we were..." He sinks to his knees in mock agony and Amy starts laughing. " _In love_!"

"Stop, people are gonna stare!" Amy chastises him in a restrained whisper, but it’s clear that she’s still enjoying his passionate act.

"Only if you... _kiss it better!"_ He protrudes his lips exaggeratedly and moves them towards Amy with the silliest face he can pull and she starts laughing so hard she has to cover her face.

" _No_! Go away!"

"I'm going to get you! I'm the kissing monster and I won't stop till I've been kissed!" He starts playfully chasing Amy in circles whilst making loud kissing noises and she runs away from him with tears of laughter.

In their childish recklessness, Amy trips over and falls on the grass they’re running on, and because Jake is following so close behind he comes tumbling down too.

_On top of her,_ to be more accurate.

They’re still giggling at first because the whole thing has been so silly but they had _fun_ , and it’s all so hilarious to them, yet as the laughter dies down Jake feels a part of himself wanting, yearning, to _actually_ kiss Amy. _For realz._ He finds himself staring into her eyes, her lips. He feels himself lick his own.

Amy on the other hand, gulps and looks away, but makes no move to get up or push Jake off. It’s a rather confusing situation.

"Hey lovebirds! Get back here!"

Thankfully, that situation is cut short by their angry team leader- a mean 13 year old every one has nicknamed the _Vulture_. There were rumors going around that he'd take credit for other campers’ findings and pretend he was the one who solved the case for the team when it was literally _always_ someone else. Jake and Amy have agreed that he is the absolute _worst_.

Once Jake and Amy return back to the group, the Vulture launches into a preachy, crude and boring speech that no one is really listening to.

"Ugh," Jake whispers to Amy. "Why'd we have to join _this_ team? The Vulture's the worst."

"I know, but Teddy was on the other team." She shrugs. "We have no choice."

"Well, there is a choice. I could ditch this team and join Teddy. He seems like a cool dude! Aside from all the creepiness. And stalking. _And_ hating me because he thinks I'm your boyfriend. _Could be fun._ "

Amy pouts, making sure every ounce of her displeasure can be felt through this unsatisfied facial expression. It works, in the sense that she looks _incredibly adorable._

"That's not changing my mind, Ames," Jake teases, having fun with this supposed leverage over her.

But suddenly her entire demeanor changes, and she seems to have gotten hit by inspiration. She must've figured out a different way to convince Jake, as her lips start to stretch into a wide smile. It is _equally_ as cute as the pout.

_"The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout..."_

Jake crumples to the floor, the urge to laugh burgeoning with every note of the nursery rhyme—never in a thousand years would he have guessed _this_ to be Amy's strategy.

She does the _hand actions_ and everything. Good _grief_. It is weirdly working, but Jake pretends to hate it anyway. "Seriously, Amy? We're the same age, you can't get away with using the same tricks you use to make _grown ups_ like you on _me_!"

_"Down came the rain which washed the spider out!"_ Amy keeps ignoring Jake's protests which only seem to spur her on. She smiles cheekily as she confidently belts out verse after verse completely out of tune with very over the top moves, satisfied as ever with herself for being this cloying.

"You know who _wouldn't_ sing nursery rhymes to annoy me?" Jake asks rhetorically, yet not looking the least bit annoyed. "Teddy. I should leave you for him, _for real."_

_"Up came the sun that dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again!"_

Amy rushes through the end of the song, even hilariously speeding up the hand actions, before grabbing Jake by the hand as he pretends to get up and leave.

"No Jake, don't go _please_!" She pouts again and makes her most pitiable face. "Pl _easeeeee....."_

He sighs painfully, but is incredibly theatric about it which Amy finds amusing. "You know, being _cute_ isn't going to help you get out of everything."

Amy pays no heed to his words. "P _weaseeeeeee....."_

"Please with a _W_?" Jake gasps, his hands coming up to cover his mouth adding to the dramatics of the entire situation. "Amy, your perfect grammar, it's _ruined_!"

Amy gives up resisting the urge to laugh and collapses in a messy heap as she deals with a heavy case of the giggles.

"Fine, I'll stay," Jake relents as he gives Amy a few good whacks on the back—she was laughing so hard she had started hacking. "But you _need_ to learn that being cute will not help you get whatever you want forever. That's what my Nana taught me. You gotta learn how to be _independent_."

Amy rolls her eyes. "I saw you being cute to the dinner lady just _yesterday_ for an extra _jello cup."_

Jake denies this without a drop of shame. " _Nuh_ _uh_ , that wasn't me being cute, that was me being _charming_."

" _Charming_?" Amy scoffs. "You call _that_ charm?"

Jake pretends to get up and leave again, which prompts Amy to wrap her arms around his waist, keeping him firmly rooted to the ground. She’s full of giggles and he feels like he’s either in heaven or hell; he isn't sure which.

" _Hey_! Stop messing around you two," the Vulture snaps. "I'm trying to give an inspiring speech here you jackasses."

"Sorry dude, but no one _cares_!" Some older kid Jake and Amy don't know voices out in annoyance, which everyone seems to agree with.

"Can't we just go find the clues now?" Someone else suggests. "The other team already left!"

The Vulture finally backs down, but doesn’t seem _at all_ happy about it.

The scavenger hunt is essentially like an Easter egg treasure hunt. Funnily enough, the clues about the case are all hidden in plastic egg shells.

There are hundreds, probably even _thousands_ of these eggs hidden all over the campsite. But obviously, not all the 'clues' in the not-Easter eggs are useful. Some of them contain blank pieces of paper or illegible scribbles. Some are even _empty_. However, it is still essential that both teams find as many not-Easter eggs as they can, as the winning team will obtain a chance card that can help them in the case later on. For example, in Jake and Amy's first year of camp, the chance card allowed their team to view all of the evidence the other team had collected as well as swap any piece of evidence for something the other team had. This allowed Jake and Amy's team to win that year and was a _serious_ game changer.

"I really hope we win the clue scavenger hunt," Amy wishes aloud as Jake and Amy scour the campsite for those plastic eggs.

"Y'know, in our first year, Charles had _real_ eggs that he tried to pass off as fake eggs when the counselors counted." Jake quips as he looks under a bush. "Hey, found an egg!"

"Nice work!" Amy exclaims. Jake proceeds to hold his hand up for a high five, which she reciprocates before getting the egg from Jake to put in their basket.

"Why did he have real eggs with him?" Amy asks as an afterthought.

"No idea," Jake shrugs. "His scrambled eggs were _delish_ though."

"He _cooked_? How?"

"Had a mini stove with him. I didn't ask."

Amy snorts. "At least you had fun."

"Yeah, stuffing myself with warm food every day was _way_ better than having to pretend to be someone's _boyfriend_ ," Jake teases. "We're together all the time—I think I'm starting to get sick of you Ames."

It was a joke, of course, because Jake couldn't be _happier_ with this set up. Amy at his side _at all times_? It’s heaven on earth, and it makes things so easy because Jake doesn't have to come up with stupid excuses to be with Amy all the time, he already has an obligation to be with her! Which is, the best and most _convenient_ excuse ever.

But Amy doesn’t sense his tone or see the goofy, light-hearted, _not at all serious_ grin he has etched on his face as he continues to search in the weirdest of places for not-Easter eggs.

So she takes his words seriously, the pain of hearing these words out of context hitting her all at once, _searing_ like a punch to the gut. Amy stops walking, her legs numb and shaking as she feels them give way—her hands weakening in quick succession causing her to lose her grip on the basket. It falls to the ground, all of their hard-found eggs tumbling out. As each not-Easter egg escapes from the overturned basket, so does a hot tear escape from her eye, rolling down Amy's face. She feels her chest tighten and constrict in unwarranted agony, her breaths coming in short, fast, and then perhaps not at all, because she’s too overwhelmed to keep track.

"Hey! I found another egg!" Jake reports excitedly, having found this particular egg partially buried beneath some soil.

But as he turns around to share his success with Amy, he discovers her ten feet behind him. On the ground. Hugging her legs, with her head buried in her lap.

She’s crying, weeping, and even _shaking_ in apparent pain. Oh no, oh _no_ —this is bad, this is _horrible_.

"Amy?!" He tosses the egg on the ground without a second thought and runs as fast as his legs can carry him; knees scrapping slightly against the dirt as he lands on the ground to wrap his arms around her in comfort. He doesn't care for his knees, doesn't care for _anything_ except Amy at this point, his heart rate skyrocketing because seeing Amy sob like this— _oh_ _god_ , he has never seen her _cry_ , ever. Seeing Amy in her current state cuts Jake deep, making it hard to even _breathe_. But he pulls himself together for Amy.

"Amy, what happened? Did you fall? Are you okay?" He releases Amy from the very one-sided hug, rapidly firing his questions and checking Amy's knees for any injuries. Maybe she tripped and fell and he didn't see because he was too engrossed in searching for those stupid plastic eggs. Jake is the _worst,_ and he really hates himself right now.

But despite checking numerous times, there are no injuries on her arms or her legs, leaving Jake even more confused.

"Amy, what's going on?" He asks, in a more careful tone at a slower pace this time. Amy starts to calm down and her breathing rate slows to a more regular pace. When she feels assured enough to look up, her eyes and nose are swollen red from the onslaught of tears and pain. It is a horrible sight to behold and hardens Jake's throat as he withholds his own tears.

But at the same time, he’s relieved to know that she hasn’t injured her face or anything; she isn't physically injured at all, in fact.

"I'm sorry..." she begins to apologize, even though there’s absolutely no reason for her to. "I made you get sick of me. Everyone _always_ gets sick of me—I... I shouldn't have–“

" _What?!"_ Jake interrupts in confusion, and suddenly it all hits him. It was him, this was all _him_. Amy is _crying_ because of him, and he’s basically the worst friend in the world, and—how many people have hurt Amy to make her jump to the conclusion that he'd get sick of _her_? How many idiots met this sweet, pure, _one-of-a-kind_ girl and decided it was a good idea to stomp on her heart?

"Amy, I was just kidding! You thought I was for real? Why would I be sick of _you_?"

Amy hiccups. "You think you're joking but deep down you _mean_ it. You're–“ she inhales sharply–“ _sick of me_ , and you only hang out with me because you're stuck with me and you have _no choice_ , and you're just being nice because _you're_ nice, to _everyone_ , and–“

"Amy, stop that _right now_." Jake is fuming now, not at _Amy_ per se but at the things she’s saying. "I _love_ hanging out with you, and that will never change. I'm not stuck with you, you're stuck with _me_ , so unless you suddenly decide you hate me, we're just gonna have to be friends forever. Got that?"

Amy still looks unsure, and it kills Jake to see her like this. The message isn't getting through, his words aren't doing it for her.

"I guess," she mumbles half-heartedly.

Then Jake does something unthinkable.

He kisses her— _on the cheek_ —not on the lips, _duh_. He is being crazy, but he isn't actually that crazy.

Amy's eyes widen in shock.

"What... what was _that_?"

Jake swallows, his throat drying up in nervousness. "Uh, that was... a promise."

"A promise?"

"A friend kiss. It means that I'm always going to be your friend, because if I really _was_ sick of you, or secretly didn't want to be your friend in any way, why would I kiss you?" He grins, proud of himself for forming such a solid argument. "Girls have _cooties_ , you know."

Amy rolls her eyes. "Don't lie, I know you don't think girls have cooties!"

Jake points a finger at Amy. "Hey, _you never know_! I'm risking my life here for our friendship Ames—cooties can _kill_!"

"They can _not_!"

"Can _too_! And _that's_ how strong our friendship is! Now will you please believe me? I made a stupid joke and it meant _nothing_ , I was just teasing you and it was a dumb idea. I'm sorry."

Amy finally cracks a small smile. "Okay, I believe you."

She proceeds to plant a kiss on Jake's cheek that leaves him frozen.

"What... was that?" He asks after what was probably the longest second of his life, his cheek _stinging_ from the kiss, a rush of heat spreading across his face, concentrating on the area of contact.

It feels different this time, now that he’s having a real life, actual, full on _crush_ on Amy. The kiss jolts him to his very soul and he can't move.

She giggles, as if her reason for kissing him is so obvious it isn't even worth mentioning. "Friendship promise kiss, remember? You're my friend too, Jake. Forever."

Rushes of affection on different levels course through Jake as his lips unwittingly turn up to form a genuine smile. He’s lucky, just so, _so_ lucky to be friends with Amy. To even _know_ of her existence is a blessing alone, and Jake gets the urge to wrap her in another tight hug and never let go.

"Can't believe you'd risk getting _boy cooties_ from me again,” he says instead. "You know the risk of getting cooties increases the more you kiss, right?"

Amy snickers uncontrollably and Jake's cheeks start to hurt because she makes him so happy.

"Come on, let's hug it out." He suggests, stretching his arms out which Amy immediately reciprocates, wrapping her arms around him tightly giving Jake the hug he craves to share with her.

It is both a mistake and the most _amazing_ thing ever, because hugging Amy feels so good. _Too good,_ in fact, because Jake doesn't want to let go. Doesn't want to let go of the way her hair brushed against his nose; how smooth and soft it was, making his head go dizzy with the way it smelled, tempting him to ask what shampoo she uses.

Her chin, resting gently on his shoulder feels so _right_ , and for a moment, Jake feels her tilt and lean her head against his neck before moving it away again. Jake just wants to tell her that it’s _okay_ , that she can rest her head on his shoulder in any preferable manner, without having to worry about making him uncomfortable, because he’ll be perfectly fine so long as she’s happy, so long as he can see her smile.

He feels an infinity's worth of a moment go by in that hug, noting everything: how her soft hands feel against his back, how her small figure feels enveloped in his arms, her long hair tickling him as the wind pushes her lovely locks around. Her shy face averting his gaze as they pull apart— _oh_. They are pulling apart. The hug is over.

Jake clears his throat to quash some of the awkwardness he’s feeling. "You know what would be fun?" he suggests in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"What?"

"We should have a small bet. Since we can't have the huge _whose-team-can-solve-the-case-first_ bet this year. Let's see who can find the most clues!"

Amy nearly jumps in excitement. "I lo–“ she hiccups, causing Jake to chuckle. "I love that!"

"Really?"

" _Ye_ –“ she hiccups again. "Yeah I do! Also, I think _I–“_ Guess what? She hiccups yet again. "Have the hiccups."

"Ya think?" Jake can't stop laughing at Amy's struggle, being a true friend indeed.

"Must've–“ Hiccup. "Been–“ Hiccup. "The crying. I get hic–“ Hiccup. "Hiccups sometimes after–“ Hiccup. "Oh, forget it."

"You know what cures hiccups, don't you?" Jake asks devilishly.

"What?"

"Tickling!"

Before Amy can run, hide, scream, shout, or stop Jake in any way, he’s gently tackled her to the ground and ambushed her with a tickle attack. Amy, as he finds out, is _incredibly_ ticklish and Jake can't stop laughing as he tickles her.

"Jake, my–“ She laughs as Jake tickles her mercilessly. "My hiccups are gone!"

"You sure?" He teases as he continues to tickle her anyway.

"Yes, stop!"

He finally gets off of her and Jake takes off in the opposite direction instinctively as she chases after him.

"I'm going to get you, Jake!"

"Please don't!" He turns around quickly to plead in response before continuing to run. "I'm very ticklish!"

"Well, _so was I_!"

"Exactly, which is why your hiccups are now gone! My thing worked!"

Amy stops chasing him, prompting him to stop and collapse on the ground as he catches his breath.

"Fine, I guess you're right."

"So... is the mini bet still on?" He asks cautiously as he returns to Amy's side.

Amy smirks. "Oh, it is _on_."

Jake and Amy don’t split up when they begin their bet, instead entering an area together and searching for not-Easter eggs on their own; taunting each other every time they find one, never straying more than twenty feet apart.

"But what do I get when I win?" Jake asks tauntingly as he tosses his eggs into his own basket (which they had gotten from a nearby counselor). "Other than bragging rights and the title of King–“

"You mean what _I'm_ gonna get when _I_ win," Amy corrects, with just as much cockiness and bravado. "I don't know. What should be the prize?"

Jake stops and ponders over this carefully. "Hmm- _oh_ , I know!" Amy looks up at him. "Winner gets to _dump_ the loser."

"Huh?"

"Well, we're not dating for real, right? We gotta fake break up at _some point_ after Teddy leaves, because I doubt he wants to come back next year."

Amy nods. "You're right. But what's so great about that?"

Jake widens his eyes. "Amy, you're kidding, right? Someone _has_ to be the bad guy. The heart breaker. I mean, when _I_ win, I'm gonna break up with you for playing with my heart despite having feelings for someone else. It's gonna be _huge_ and _dramatic_ , and all the girls and boys will feel sorry for me: the hopeless romantic who loved you too much for his own good."

Amy rolls her eyes. "And what? You'll get all the ladies and gentlemen? That's not gonna work."

Jake gasps. “Why not?!"

"So, what?" She sighs, still not very excited by this prospect. "We have a horrible break up and we never talk to each other again?"

Jake looks at her like she’s crazy. "What? No, of course we stay friends."

"Why would you be friends with someone who _stomped_ on your heart?"

She has a point, but Jake is never one to back down so easy.

"I... love pain?" He appeals, sheepishly scratching his head. "And I'm very forgiving, let's just go with that. What about you?"

Amy looks confused. "What about me what?"

"If, _by some crazy miracle_ , you win the bet, how are you dumping me?"

This gets Amy thinking, and eventually she breaks into a smile. Which concerns yet excites Jake at the same time.

"I'm going to make a _list_ of all the reasons I wanna fake dump you!"

"Huh?" Jake asks. "What list?"

"I'll make it now," Amy declares, which is worrying. Very worrying.

"Okay, but we don't have much time for you to think of reasons you'd want to break up with me, the _perfect_ fake boyfriend."

"Don't worry," Amy assures. "I already have all the reasons ready."

"Oh god," Jake groans.

 

**1\. Eating Habits**  

"Oh come on," Jake protests. "This is a low blow."

"Jake, every time we have pasta for lunch or dinner, you get sauce _all over_ your mouth. And sometimes in other weird places on your face. And once in your _hair_. How do you even do that?"

Jake shrugs with all the confidence he can muster. "Pure, god-given talent, I guess."

Amy rolls her eyes. "Plus, you always refuse to wipe it off so I have to do it for you!"

"It's not my fault you're so thorough! You know where all the sauce is, and you're the only one that _cares_ that there's sauce on my face."

Amy sighs. "Still! You're the messiest eater I've ever _met_."

Jake grins. "Hey, on the bright side—at least I don't get sauce on my face during breakfast. I count _that_ as a win."

"Oh my god." Amy shakes her head in disbelief. "That's only because we've never had pasta for breakfast."

"True. But! Still a win."

"Speaking of breakfast-" Amy continues. "You _always_ eat your cereal with orange soda! What's even worse is how you buy the orange soda from the vending machine on your _own_ because they don't serve it in the cafeteria."

"They should!" Jake insists. "Orange soda with cereal is the best."

"It's disgusting, Jake!"

"You've never even tried it!" He argues.

"And I never _will–“ she retorts–“_ because it's disgusting."

"You're missing out."

"And don't even get me started on your fruit roll ups–“

"Hey, I was making a healthy, _well-balanced_ breakfast!"

"You were eating _candy_ because you didn't like the oatmeal they were serving, and _speaking_ of fruit, you don't eat any! Ever! You always leave out your vegetables too!"

"Do _not_!"

"Do _too_!" Amy shoots back childishly. "And any time you had fruit or vegetables was because I _made_ you eat them."

"It's camp! If I wanted to eat fruits or vegetables, I'd go _home_!"

Amy shakes her head, completely giving up. "Fine, whatever. But come on, you never drink water? What's up with that?"

"I drink water whenever you tell me to!"

"Yeah, that was like, once!" Amy huffs. "If I weren't around, were you just never going to drink water?"

"There's water in soda!" Jake protests. "And juice. And in the little pools on top of pizza?"

"What? Ew!" Amy nearly gags. "Jake, that's _grease_!"

“Well, it's _wet_ , isn't it?"

Amy gives up. She is done arguing with him over his destructive diet, plus eating and drinking habits in general.

 

**2\. Reckless**

"It's called having _fun_ , Ames." Jake folds his arms. "Again, we're in camp."

"I swear," she exhales sharply. "The things you do—you could get yourself killed!"

Jake smirks. "Aww, Ames! You care about me?"

"Of course I do but—you _really_ need to stop going down the slide head first! You almost died the other day!"

"But I didn't!" Jake smiles sheepishly. "And then I— _went back up and did the same thing again,_ okay, yeah. I see where you're coming from."

Amy sighs, glad he admits that she’s right but still not entirely pleased about his impulsive nature.

"Also—remember that time we found that basketball?"

Jake smiles warmly, recalling the occasion fondly. "Yeah, and that cool _abandoned_ basketball court."

"It was mostly just a dented hoop leftover from what might have been a basketball court. Actually, I'm not even sure it was even meant to be a basketball hoop."

"But still, awesome right?" Jake probes.

"Yeah, it was. But–“ Amy's voice narrows. "You yelling out ' _KOBE_ ' every time you tried to shoot was not. Plus, you tried to convince me you could dunk!"

"And I did!" Jake insists in an outrage.

"You used a ladder!"

"An _abandoned_ ladder," Jake corrects. There’s a high probability the secret fence and general area separating the _Junior Jazzle-Dazzle Dance_ campsite and the _CSI Kids_ campsite is an abandoned construction site. Which is super cool, and Jake can't wait to explore more of the forbidden area. If only they could find time during the day. Even Jake knows the place is too dangerous to explore in the dark.

Also... he’s afraid of the dark. Maybe. Just a little. He isn't a coward or anything though.

But come on, who's not scared of the dark?!

"Fine, an abandoned ladder." Amy concedes. " _Which you fell off."_

"Less of me _falling off_ and more of the ladder slamming to the ground." Jake corrects.

"See! You. Could. Have. Died."

"But I didn't!" Jake says, for the umpteenth time. "Although it did hurt pretty bad."

"And there's also the time where you tried to copy Rosa's backflips."

Jake chuckles. "Oh yeah! That was hilarious."

That night, Gina had brought some pixie sticks that she got from... well she never really _explained_ how she got them, but no one said no to candy.

Except Amy, who had said no, but that was okay, because it just meant that there was more for the rest of them.

And it paid off. Rosa's voice went up several _octaves_ under the influence of pixie dust and she started being really enthusiastic and bragged about how good she was at gymnastics—prior to that, none of them had ever even _heard_ that she did gymnastics.

Rosa became very suggestible too, which meant that she would fulfill any request any of them made. So they were treated to a full display of Rosa's dance skills and gymnastic skills, but Jake took the cake when he requested a backflip.

Which Rosa executed. _Perfectly_. It was a miracle really, that she was able to perform such a physically demanding task whilst under the influence of so much sugar.

And of course, Jake had decided he needed to try doing a backflip too. His attempt, achieved much less success. None at _all_ , actually.

"Great? You could have _snapped_ your neck, or worse! Jake, I was the only one who didn't have pixie sticks so only _I_ saw how badly that night could've ended—you almost died!"

Jake gulps. "Sorry? Also, me 'almost dying' feels like a theme here. Seems kinda badass."

"Whatever," Amy grumbles.

 

**3\. Messy**

"Now I feel like you're just being fussy. Okay okay, what did I do wrong _this_ time?"

"Every time we watch movies on Film Nights, you leave popcorn _everywhere_."

"That's not my fault–“ Jake argues. "It's dark, and I can't see where my mouth is so I keep missing!"

Amy's fingers crease her forehead in frustration.

"Seriously, Jake? Fine, your room—how do you excuse how messy it is?"

"To be fair, you weren't supposed to be inside a _boy's_ room,” he reasons, proud of himself for doing so.

"You made me sneak in! I was so afraid I would get into trouble if anyone–“

"But you _didn't_ get into trouble. And if you tell this story while fake dumping me, it might actually get you into trouble if someone snitches, and you _hate_ getting into trouble so you can't say anything about my room. Hah!"

"Fine," Amy acquiesces. "I'll keep that out but _point is_ , you made me go inside, plus the ' _super cool thing'_ you just _had_ to show me was a rat!"

Jake gasps. "His name is Algernon and don't you forget it!"

"He was there because your room was _disgusting_ and _gross_."

Jake crosses his arms indignantly. "Yeah, and then you cleaned up my room which chased him away. I mean, my room did smell better which was good for my asthma, but Algernon was the _best!"_

"He was a _pest_."

"Nice rhyme," Jake acknowledges proudly. "But not the point! He was cute, and you know it."

Amy takes a deep breath. "Fine—if I didn't know he was a dirty rat..."

Jake laces his fingers together in anticipation. "Go on..."

"I would–“ she exhales. "Think he was a _little_ cute."

"Hah! See? I knew it!" Jake paused for a beat. "Okay, that didn't feel like that much of a win, never mind."

"I'm moving on-" Amy digresses. "Aside from the popcorn, you're always throwing _peanuts_ at me, and those peanuts keep landing on the floor!"

"You were supposed to catch them with your mouth!"

"I was trying to focus on the movie! Which brings me to my next point-"

 

**4\. Distracting**

"Is this _really_ a bad thing?" Jake grins. "I mean, what could be so bad about getting your attention stolen because of your charming, _perfect_ fake-boyfriend?"

Amy chooses to ignore him. "Jake, you're always talking to me during the movies and distracting me with dumb jokes."

"But you always laugh!"

"That's not the point!"

"So you're saying my jokes aren't funny?"

Amy pauses for a moment. "Fine, maybe they are funny-"

"Hah!" Jake interrupts. “So what's the problem? I'm funny, you love it-"

"I can't focus on the movies because of _you_ , Jake. What if something in the films was related to one of the camp activities? What if I missed something important?"

"I already told you, if the movie isn't _Die Hard_ , it's not important."

"Jake, we're _kids_ , they can't show us Die Hard."

Jake sighs. "Fair point."

 

**5\. Bad Kisser**

"Oh come on!" Jake whines. "We've never even kissed! On the lips. _We've never kissed on the lips!"_

"Jake-" Amy shakes her head. "I told you, it's a _fake_ list!"

"Oh," Jake hums. "So was the rest of the list fake too?"

"No, that stuff was real."

"What?" Jake huffs. "Come on, if anyone's a bad kisser, it's _you_! The first time you kissed my cheek was just really wet. And you know what? I'm giving it a B-plus, because I know you hate B-pluses!"

Amy gasps. "Jake, how dare you! I already said it's just a fake reason to _fake_ dump you!"

"Fine!" Jake exclaims reluctantly. "I would _so_ be a good kisser by the way."

"How would we know that for sure if you haven't kissed anyone?" Amy points out skeptically.

"So kiss me!"

"What?"

"What? _Nothing_! I'm just confused because this list makes me feel so attacked!"

Amy feels bad then. Maybe her words have been a bit much. "I'm sorry–“ she places a hand on his shoulder to comfort him–“I think I went too far, you're a good friend, Jake."

Jake folds his arms pettily. "Not good enough, Ames."

"Fine." She exhales gently. "You are _sweet_ , and funny and kind and—you helped me by pretending to be my _boyfriend_ ; not many people would do that, which is really cool of you."

Jake can’t help but crack a smile at her words, even though he can’t imagine why anyone would reject the chance to date Amy, even if it was only pretend.

"And I'm _very handsome,_ " he adds.

"And... you're very handsome."

Jake chortles at this, before picking up his basket of not-Easter eggs.

"While hearing you admit that I'm _the most handsome man alive_ was probably the best part of today, I still can't let you embarrass me in front of everyone with that list—so you're going down!"

He runs off, basket precariously dangling from his grip as he searches tirelessly for not-Easter eggs.

"Not if you're going down first!" Amy yells, chasing after him.

When the not-Easter egg hunt comes to a close as the time they have been given is up, Jake and Amy dash back to their team so the supervising counselor can tally up the number of eggs they have, reaching mere _seconds_ before their time is up.

"Um, kids? Could you hurry up? You don't have to count the eggs because I'm supposed to be counting them," she explains.

"22... 23... 24!" Amy finishes with a resounding sneer. "How many do you have, Peralta?"

"23... 24." Jake smiles and hands his eggs to the supervising counselor, who just looks at them weirdly.

Amy's shoulders sag in disappointment. "Guess it's a tie."

"Or is it?!" Jake exclaims, causing her to look up as he pulls a not-Easter egg out from his pocket. "Guess I actually had _25_ eggs!"

"What? No!" Amy groans in despair. "This, this can't be! What? Where'd you get that egg?"

Jake places his palms together conspiratorially. "I found it in a bush, and decided to put it in my pocket instead of the basket... _just_ in case we were tied."

"Why didn't you just put it in the basket?"

"My father taught me to have a flair for the _dramatics_! Whatever that means—anyway— _hah_! Jake wins, Amy loses. Suck it Santiago!"

"Dude, isn't she your girlfriend?" A camper from their team comments disapprovingly.

"Oh yeah," Jake realizes. The fake boyfriend thing. "I love you! But also, _suck it!_ "

Amy crosses her arms. "Whatever."

"Aww, babe, don't be upset..." he goes up to her, arms outstretched under the false pretense of wanting to comfort her. But when he leans in during their hug, he only whispers this: "I'm gonna have _so_ much fun fake dumping you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating in so long hope this was enjoyable somewhat <3


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